Flora of North America species comparison

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Balsamorhiza sericea

Balsamorhiza macrophylla

silky balsamroot, silvery balsamroot

cutleaf balsamroot, Idaho balsamroot, large-leaf balsamroot
Habit Plants 10–30(–40) cm. Plants 30–45(–100) 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.

green, ovate to lanceolate, 20–50+ × 8–15 cm (pinnatifid, lobes lanceolate, 20–80+ × 10–40 mm, entire or ± dentate), bases ± cuneate, ultimate margins usually entire (plane or weakly revolute, ciliate), apices obtuse to acute, faces scabrous or piloso-hirtellous to pilose (at least abaxial usually gland-dotted as well).
Involucres

campanulate to hemispheric, 11–20+ mm diam.

± hemispheric, 20–30 mm diam.
Ray laminae

15–20 mm (adaxially puberulous on veins).

35–50+ mm.
Outer phyllaries

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

lance-ovate or lanceolate to lance-linear, 12–30(–40) mm, equaling or surpassing inner (margins ciliate), apices acute to attenuate.
Heads

borne singly.

usually borne singly.
2n

= 100 ± 2.

Balsamorhiza sericea

Balsamorhiza macrophylla
Phenology Flowering Apr–May. Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Serpentine outcrops, among surface rocks, in crevices, hillsides, dry streamsides among cobbles Deep soils, rocky meadows, sagebrush scrublands, conifer forests
Elevation 400–1800 m (1300–5900 ft) 1000–2400 m (3300–7900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Balsamorhiza sericea hybridizes with B. deltoidea.

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

Balsamorhiza macrophylla is a high polyploid; it occurs sympatrically with B. sagittata. It evidently arose from hybridization between B. sagittata and B. hispidula. Balsamorhiza macrophylla has the multi-branched caudices and massive taproots of the former, and the leaf dissection of the latter. No hybrids with other species are known. Presumably, the high-polyploid chromosome complement precludes interbreeding. Plants of var. idahoensis are smaller, are known only from southwestern Idaho and northeastern Utah, and differ from var. macrophylla by being pilose, with strongly shaggy-pilose involucres. More study may determine that var. idahoensis merits specific rank. The Utah populations are not well understood and deserve attention.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 96. FNA vol. 21, p. 98.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Ecliptinae > Balsamorhiza > subg. Balsamorhiza Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Ecliptinae > Balsamorhiza > subg. Balsamorhiza
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. deltoidea, B. hispidula, B. hookeri, B. incana, B. lanata, B. macrolepis, B. rosea, B. sagittata, B. sericea, B. serrata
Synonyms B. hookeri var. idahoensis, B. macrophylla var. idahoensis
Name authority W. A. Weber: Phytologia 50: 358. (1982) Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 350. (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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