Flora of North America species comparison

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Balsamorhiza sericea

Balsamorhiza careyana

silky balsamroot, silvery balsamroot

Carey's balsamroot
Habit Plants 10–30(–40) cm. Plants (15–)20–60 cm.
Basal leaves

blades silvery, lanceolate or lance-ovate, 9–30 × 2–7 cm (1-pinnatifid, lobes oblong to oblanceolate, 5–35 × 3–17 mm), bases cuneate, ultimate margins usually entire (plane or weakly revolute, obscurely, if at all, ciliate), apices rounded to acute, faces densely sericeous.

blades green, rounded-deltate or deltate to triangular-deltate, 15–25 × 6–15 cm, bases cordate or hastate to truncate, margins usually entire, sometimes crenate (to dentate near bases), apices acute to attenuate, faces finely hispidulous to hirtellous (gland-dotted as well).
Involucres

campanulate to hemispheric, 11–20+ mm diam.

hemispheric to turbinate or campanulate, 12–20 mm diam.
Ray laminae

15–20 mm (adaxially puberulous on veins).

20–30(–40) mm (cypselae strigose or glabrous).
Outer phyllaries

broadly ovate to triangular-ovate, 12–20 mm, slightly surpassing inner, apices acuminate to attenuate (margins not ciliate).

oblong to lanceolate or linear, 15–25 mm, usually surpassing inner, apices acute to attenuate.
Heads

borne singly.

usually (2–)3+, sometimes borne singly.
2n

= 38.

Balsamorhiza sericea

Balsamorhiza careyana
Phenology Flowering Apr–May. Flowering (Mar–)May–Jun(–Jul).
Habitat Serpentine outcrops, among surface rocks, in crevices, hillsides, dry streamsides among cobbles Dry scablands, semi-desert soils, openings in pine forests
Elevation 400–1800 m (1300–5900 ft) 500–1000 m (1600–3300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Balsamorhiza sericea hybridizes with B. deltoidea.

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

Hybrids involving Balsamorhiza careyana and B. deltoidea occur near the Columbia River Gorge; intermediates are found to the east and south. In northern Oregon, plants in some populations have glabrous cypselae and some populations are mixed. The hairiness may come from B. rosea; B. rosea and B. careyana may hybridize profusely, producing mostly plants with the stature of B. careyana and with the relatively short, brick-red ray corollas of B. rosea. Hybridization also occurs, occasionally, between B. careyana and B. sagittata; B. careyana also hybridizes with any species of sect. Balsamorhiza with which it comes in contact. Plants called Balsamorhiza careyana var. intermedia usually have crenate leaf margins and glabrous cypselae.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 96. FNA vol. 21, p. 95.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Ecliptinae > Balsamorhiza > subg. Balsamorhiza 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. sagittata, B. serrata
B. deltoidea, B. hispidula, B. hookeri, B. incana, B. lanata, B. macrolepis, B. macrophylla, B. rosea, B. sagittata, B. sericea, B. serrata
Synonyms B. careyana var. intermedia
Name authority W. A. Weber: Phytologia 50: 358. (1982) A. Gray: Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, n. s. 4: 81. (1849)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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