Flora of North America species comparison

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Balsamorhiza sericea

Balsamorhiza deltoidea

silky balsamroot, silvery balsamroot

deltoid balsam root, Puget balsamroot
Habit Plants 10–30(–40) cm. Plants 20–90 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, deltate or rounded-deltate to triangular-deltate, 10–25+ × 7–15(–20) cm, bases cordate to sagittate, margins usually crenate to dentate (at least near bases), sometimes entire, apices acute, faces usually sparsely hirtellous to hispidulous, sometimes glabrous (usually gland-dotted, sometimes vernicose).
Involucres

campanulate to hemispheric, 11–20+ mm diam.

campanulate to hemispheric 15–30+ mm diam.
Ray laminae

15–20 mm (adaxially puberulous on veins).

20–50 mm.
Outer phyllaries

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

oblong to lanceolate or lance-linear, (12–)30–40(–60) mm, usually much surpassing inner, apices acute.
Heads

borne singly.

usually borne singly, sometimes 2+.
2n

= 38.

Balsamorhiza sericea

Balsamorhiza deltoidea
Phenology Flowering Apr–May. Flowering (Mar–)Apr–Jun(–Jul).
Habitat Serpentine outcrops, among surface rocks, in crevices, hillsides, dry streamsides among cobbles Open hillsides, openings in chaparral or forests
Elevation 400–1800 m (1300–5900 ft) 60–1800(–2400) m (200–5900(–7900) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Balsamorhiza sericea hybridizes with B. deltoidea.

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

Balsamorhiza deltoidea varies in the crenation of the leaf margins. The variability may stem from an old hybridization with B. hookeri or other species of Balsamorhiza. Otherwise, B. deltoidea shows little significant variability except where it hybridizes with B. careyana in the narrows of the Columbia River Gorge.

(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. careyana, B. hispidula, B. hookeri, B. incana, B. lanata, B. macrolepis, B. macrophylla, B. rosea, B. sagittata, B. sericea, B. serrata
Synonyms B. glabrescens
Name authority W. A. Weber: Phytologia 50: 358. (1982) Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 351. (1840)
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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