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arrow-leaf balsamroot

Habit Plants (15–)20–40(–65) cm.
Basal leaves

blades ± silvery to white or gray-green, rounded-deltate or deltate to triangular-deltate, 5–25 × 3–15 cm, bases ± cordate, margins entire, apices acute to attenuate, faces sericeous, tomentose, tomentulose, or velutinous (at least abaxially, usually gland-dotted as well), sometimes glabrescent.

Involucres

hemispheric to turbinate, 12–25 mm diam.

Ray laminae

20–40 mm.

Outer phyllaries

lanceolate to oblanceolate or linear, (15–)20–25(–30+) mm, equaling or surpassing inner, apices acute to acuminate.

Heads

usually borne singly, sometimes 2–3+.

2n

= 38.

Balsamorhiza sagittata

Phenology Flowering (Apr–)May–Jun(–Jul).
Habitat Openings, banks, flats, meadows, ridges, sagebrush scrub, conifer forests
Elevation (100–)900–2500(–3000) m ((300–)3000–8200(–9800) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; SDak
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Discussion

Balsamorhiza sagittata grows east of the Cascade-Sierra axis to the Rocky Mountains and Black Hills. It is one of the more spectacular of all spring-flowering plants in the northwestern United States. Hybrids occur along lines of contact between B. sagittata and almost all species of sect. Balsamorhiza except B. macrophylla (a high polyploid).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 21, p. 95.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Ecliptinae > Balsamorhiza > subg. Artorhiza
Sibling taxa
B. careyana, B. deltoidea, B. hispidula, B. hookeri, B. incana, B. lanata, B. macrolepis, B. macrophylla, B. rosea, B. sericea, B. serrata
Synonyms Buphthalmum sagittatum, B. helianthoides, Espeletia helianthoides, Espeletia sagittata
Name authority (Pursh) Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 350. (1840)
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