Balsamorhiza
Asteraceae tribe Heliantheae subtribe Ecliptinae
balsamroot
erect, branched mostly from bases.
mostly basal; opposite or alternate; petiolate (bases persisting as fibrils);
blades (mostly pinnately nerved, sometimes 3- or 5-nerved) either rounded-deltate to triangular-deltate with bases sagittate or cordate to truncate and margins entire or crenate (B. subg. Artorhiza), or blades mostly elliptic, ovate, or lanceolate to lance-ovate or oblong and often 1–2-pinnatifid or -pinnately lobed with bases mostly truncate to cuneate and (if not lobed) margins usually crenate, dentate, or serrate, seldom entire (B. subg. Balsamorhiza), faces usually hirsute, hispid, pilose, puberulent, scabrous, sericeous, strigose, tomentose, or velutinous and gland-dotted or stipitate-glandular, seldom glabrous.
usually cauline, sometimes mostly basal, or basal and cauline; opposite, alternate, or both; petiolate or sessile;
blades cordate, deltate, elliptic, lanceolate, linear, rhombic, orbiculate, or ovate (and intermediate shapes), often 1(–2+)-palmately or -pinnately lobed, ultimate margins entire or toothed, faces glabrous or hairy (often hispid or scabrous), often gland-dotted or stipitate-glandular.
mostly campanulate or turbinate to hemispheric, 11–30+ mm diam.
cylindric, or campanulate to hemispheric or broader, or rotate.
flat to convex, paleate (paleae persistent, conduplicate, at least at bases, chartaceous).
convex, conic, or flat, paleate (paleae usually falling, oblong to linear, herbaceous to chartaceous or scarious, usually conduplicate).
5–21+, pistillate, fertile;
corollas usually yellow to orange, rarely becoming brick red (B. rosea).
usually (1–)3–40+, sometimes 0, usually pistillate and fertile, sometimes styliferous and sterile, or neuter;
corollas usually yellow to orange, sometimes pink to purple, red, brown, or white (sometimes sessile, persistent, and becoming papery, e.g., in Heliopsis, Sanvitalia, and Zinnia).
(15–)50–150+, bisexual, fertile;
corollas yellow to orange, tubes much shorter than cylindric throats, lobes 5, ± deltate (style branches stigmatic in 2 barely distinct lines, appendages filiform).
4–200+, bisexual and fertile, or functionally staminate;
corollas usually yellow to orange, sometimes brown, greenish, maroon, pink, purple, or red, rarely white or whitish, tubes shorter to longer than campanulate, cylindric, or funnelform throats, lobes (4–)5, deltate to lanceolate (usually equal);
anther thecae usually dark (collars not continuous around filaments);
stigmatic papillae usually continuous, sometimes none, rarely in 2 lines.
persistent, 8–20+ in 2–3+ series (subequal to unequal, outer equaling or surpassing inner).
persistent or falling, usually 8–40+ in 2–4+ series, usually distinct, usually lanceolate, linear, orbiculate, or ovate, subequal or unequal (outer usually shorter, rarely longer, than inner).
0.
radiate, usually borne singly, rarely (2–3+) in ± corymbiform to racemiform arrays (peduncles ± scapiform, usually bearing 2+ leaves or bracts proximally or at mid length).
usually radiate, sometimes discoid, borne singly or in cymiform, corymbiform, paniculiform, racemiform, or spiciform arrays.
obscurely prismatic, weakly 3–4-angled (faces usually glabrous, strigose in some B. careyana and in B. rosea);
pappi 0.
obpyramidal or prismatic (3–4-angled), or terete to ovoid, or strongly compressed or flattened and ± orbiculate to obovate or cuneate (lengths seldom more than 2 times diams.), sometimes ribbed, sometimes winged, glabrous or hairy;
pappi usually persistent, sometimes fragile or readily falling, usually of scales, sometimes of bristles or bristlelike awns or coroniform, rarely of awns or 0.
= 19.
Balsamorhiza
Asteraceae tribe Heliantheae subtribe Ecliptinae
Species 12 (12 in the flora).
Balsamorhiza ×bonseri H. St. John refers to a hybrid derivative involving B. sagittata and B. rosea. The plants have the habit of B. sagittata and the reddish ray corollas of B. rosea. The cypselae are hairy.
Balsamorhiza ×terebinthacea (Hooker) Nuttall and B. macrophylla var. terebinthacea (Hooker) A. Nelson refer to hybrids derived from B. hookeri × B. deltoidea.
In the key and descriptions here, “leaves” refers to basal leaves and “leaf blades” refers to blades of basal leaves, unless otherwise indicated.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Genera 75, species 600 (31 genera, 124 species, including 4 hybrids, in the flora).
The circumscription of Ecliptinae adopted by H. Robinson (1981) and followed here differs from the treatment by P. O. Karis and O. Ryding (1994), who placed Eclipta as unassigned to a subtribe and placed Echinacea in Rudbeckiinae, Acmella, Heliopsis, Sanvitalia, and Zinnia in Zinniinae, Berlandiera, Chrysogonum, Engelmannia, Lindheimera, and Silphium in Engelmanniinae, and Balsamorhiza (including Agnorhiza), Borrichia, Calyptocarpus, Encelia, Enceliopsis, Flourensia, Geraea, Helianthella, Jefea, Lasianthaea, Melanthera, Pascalia, Phoebanthus, Sphagneticola, Synedrella, Verbesina, Wedelia, and Wyethia (including Scabrethia) in Verbesininae. Based on studies of chloroplast DNA sequences, J. L. Panero (2005) placed Encelia, Enceliopsis, Flourensia, Geraea, and Helianthella together in Enceliinae and Acmella in Spilanthinae, indicating a sister relationship between Spilanthinae and traditionally circumscribed Zinniinae.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Leaves (petioles mostly longer than blades): blades rounded-deltate or deltate to triangular-deltate, bases sagittate or cordate to truncate, margins usually entire, sometimes crenate to dentate (subg. Artorhiza) | → 2 |
1. Leaves (petioles mostly shorter than blades): blades mostly lanceolate, lance-elliptic, lance-ovate, linear-oblong, oblong, or ovate, often 1–2-pinnatifid or -pinnately lobed, bases usually truncate to cuneate, sometimes cordate, ultimate margins usually crenate, dentate, or serrate, seldom entire (subg. Balsamorhiza) | → 4 |
2. Heads usually borne singly, sometimes 2–3+; leaves ± silvery to white, faces (at least the abaxial) sericeous, tomentose, tomentulose, or velutinous | B. sagittata |
2. Heads 2–3+ or borne singly; leaves green, faces glabrous or finely hispidulous to hirtellous | → 3 |
3. Heads usually (2–)3+, sometimes borne singly; leaf margins usually entire, sometimes crenate (to dentate near bases), faces usually finely hispidulous to hirtellous (cypselae strigose or glabrous) | B. careyana |
3. Heads usually borne singly, sometimes 2+; leaf margins usually crenate to dentate (at least near bases), sometimes entire, faces usually sparsely hirtellous to hispidulous, sometimes glabrous (usually gland-dotted, sometimes vernicose; cypselae glabrous) | B. deltoidea |
4. Leaf blades sometimes pinnately lobed (ultimate margins usually crenate-serrate, dentate, or serrate) | → 5 |
4. Leaf blades usually 1–2-pinnatifid | → 6 |
5. Leaf blades (earliest sometimes, later seldom, pinnately lobed): margins usually dentate to serrate, faces hirsutulous to scabrous (ray corollas yellow, not becoming red or chartaceous; cypselae glabrous) | B. serrata |
5. Leaf blades (rarely pinnately lobed): margins crenate-serrate, faces finely strigose to moderately scabrous (ray corollas yellow at anthesis, becoming red, drying pinkand chartaceous; cypselae strigose) | B. rosea |
6. Leaves grayish, silvery, or white, faces lanate-tomentose, sericeous, tomentose, or villous | → 7 |
6. Leaves bright green to gray-green, faces glabrous or hirsute, hirtellous, hispid, hispidulous, pilose, piloso-hirtellous, scabrous, sericeous, strigillose, strigose, subvelutinous, or tomentose (sometimes gland-dotted as well) | → 9 |
7. Leaves: faces densely sericeous; n California, s Oregon | B. sericea |
7. Leaves: faces lanate-tomentose, tomentose, or villous; n California, Oregon, Washington | → 8 |
8. Leaf blades ovate to lanceolate, 10–45 × 3–7(–10) cm (1-pinnatifid, lobes ovate to lanceolate, 20–50 × 5–25 mm), margins plane; Oregon, Washington | B. incana |
8. Leaf blades lanceolate to linear-oblong, 10–20 × 3–6(–8) cm (1–2-pinnatifid, primary lobes lance-linear to oblong, 5–40 × 1–10 mm, margins revo-lute); n California | B. lanata |
9. Leaf blades 30–60 cm, 1-pinnatifid or nearly so; outer phyllaries usually much surpassing inner | → 10 |
9. Leaf blades 6–40 cm, usually 1–2-pinnatifid; outer phyllaries seldom surpassing inner | → 11 |
10. Leaves: faces strigillose to subvelutinous or tomentose (margins not cili-ate); ray laminae 20–30+ mm | B. macrolepis |
10. Leaves: faces scabrous or piloso-hirtellous to pilose (at least adaxial, mar- gins ciliate); ray laminae 35–50+ mm | B. macrophylla |
11. Leaf blades bright green, lance-elliptic to lanceolate, (6–)15–25(–40) × (3–)5–9+ cm (primary lobes lanceolate to oblanceolate, 10–45 × 2–15 mm),faces hispidulous to hirtellous | B. hispidula |
11. Leaf blades usually gray-green, narrowly to broadly lanceolate or ovate, (8–)20–30(–40) × 2–15 cm (primary lobes oblong or lanceolate to linear, 5–100 × 0.5–15 mm), faces hirsute, sericeous, or strigose | B. hookeri |
1. Ray florets usually 5–21 (more in "double" cultivars), sometimes 0 (in Zinnia anomala, subshrubs or shrublets to 12 cm, leaves linear, Texas), corollas usually yellow to orange, sometimes purple, red, or whitish (usually persistent, sessile, becoming papery) | → 2 |
1. Ray florets usually (2–)5–35, sometimes 0, corollas usually yellow to orange, sometimes white (seldom sessile, laminae usually borne on tubes, never persistent and becoming papery) | → 4 |
2. Leaf margins serrate to coarsely toothed | Heliopsis |
2. Leaf margins entire | → 3 |
3. Leaves petiolate or sessile; cypselae ± terete or obscurely 3–4-angled to compressed or flattened (all usually tuberculate and usually bearing uncinate hairs, none, some,or all in each head winged) | Sanvitalia |
3. Leaves sessile; cypselae 3-angled or flattened (none with uncinate hairs, none winged) | Zinnia |
4. Disc florets functionally staminate (only ray florets produce cypselae) | → 5 |
4. Disc florets bisexual, fertile | → 9 |
5. Phyllaries 8–10 in 2 series | → 6 |
5. Phyllaries 12–45+ in (2–)3–4 series | → 7 |
6. Perennials; leaves opposite, petiolate, margins crenate | Chrysogonum |
6. Annuals; leaves mostly alternate (distal sometimes opposite), ± sessile, margins coarsely toothed (mostly distal 1/2) | Lindheimera |
7. Ray florets 8–35 (in 1–3 series); cypselae (shed alone without accessory structures) | Silphium |
7. Ray florets usually (2–)8(–13); cypselae (each shed together with subtending phyllary and 2–4 adjacent paleae and disc florets) | → 8 |
8. Phyllaries usually 14–22 in 2–3 series (broadly obovate to orbiculate, without linear appendages); ray corollas pale yellow to orange-yellow (abaxially red to maroon or with greenish or red to maroon veins) | Berlandiera |
8. Phyllaries 18–24+ in ± 3 series (at least outer with relatively short, expanded, indurate bases and longer, linear, herbaceous tips); ray corollasyellow (without notably colored veins) | Engelmannia |
9. Leaves mostly basal, or basal and cauline, or cauline, mostly alternate | → 10 |
9. Leaves mostly cauline, mostly opposite | → 21 |
10. Cypselae prismatic, or nearly so, 3–4-angled | → 11 |
10. Cypselae compressed to flattened | → 15 |
11. Ray florets usually 8–21 (corollas mostly pink, red, purple, or white, yellow in E. paradoxa var. paradoxa, laminae often drooping or reflexed);receptacles mostly conic (heights often 2+ times diams.) | Echinacea |
11. Ray florets (1–)5–25+ (corollas yellow or orange, laminae not drooping or reflexed), sometimes 0; receptacles flat to convex | → 12 |
12. Leaves mostly basal (cauline usually notably smaller than basal); pappi 0 | Balsamorhiza |
12. Leaves basal and cauline, or mostly cauline; pappi usually coroniform, sometimes of 1–4+ scales or 0 | → 13 |
13. Leaves mostly cauline (blades narrowly oblong to linear, 5–25 mmwide) | Scabrethia |
13. Leaves basal and cauline, or mostly cauline (blades mostly 30–120 mm wide) | → 14 |
14. Leaves mostly elliptic, lanceolate, or oblong (basal and cauline, basal usually notably larger than cauline, cauline mostly sessile) | Wyethia |
14. Leaves mostly orbiculate, ovate, or rounded-deltate (mostly cauline, mostly petiolate, proximal and distal usually ± similar) | Agnorhiza |
15. Cypselae winged; pappi persistent, of 2(–3) scales (scales often aristate or subulate, without additional scales) | Verbesina |
15. Cypselae sometimes thin-edged (margins sometimes ciliate or corky-thickened, never truly winged); pappi usually of (1–)2, subulate scales or bristlelike awns plus 2–4+ shorter scales, sometimes 0 (rarely of 2–3 aristate scales without additional scales) | → 16 |
16. Perennials (scapiform); leaves all or mostly basal; involucres 20–30+ mm diam | Enceliopsis |
16. Perennials (rarely scapiform), subshrubs, or shrubs; leaves usually cauline, sometimes basal and cauline; involucres 4–30 mm diam | → 17 |
17. Perennials (rhizomatous); leaves linear to filiform | Phoebanthus |
17. Perennials or shrubs (not rhizomatous); leaves mostly deltate, elliptic, lanceolate, or ovate (and most intermediate shapes, not linear to filiform) | → 18 |
18. Ray florets 8–21, pistillate and fertile | Helianthella |
18. Ray florets 0 or 8–40, neuter, or styliferous and sterile | → 19 |
19. Subshrubs or shrubs (glabrous or ± scabrellous, usually vernicose); phyllaries 12–40 in 2–4+ series (subequal or unequal, outer longer) | Flourensia |
19. Annuals, perennials, or shrubs (glabrous or canescent, hirtellous, scabrellous, strigose, or tomentose, often gland-dotted or glandular-puberulent to stipitate-glandular, seldom vernicose); phyllaries 18–30(–50+) in 2–3+ series (subequal or unequal, outer shorter) | → 20 |
20. Perennials (E. nutans), subshrubs, or shrubs; pappi usually 0, sometimes fragile, of 2 weak, villous scales | Encelia |
20. Annuals or perennials; pappi usually persistent, of 2 subulate scales | Geraea |
21. Heads discoid (corollas white or whitish); pappi 0, or readily falling, of 2–12 barbellate bristles or awns | Melanthera |
21. Heads radiate or discoid (corollas seldom white or whitish); pappi 0, or usually persistent and coroniform or cyathiform (each an erose, fimbriate, or lacerate cup, with or without additional awns or bristles, borne on rostrums), or of 2–4+ awns, bristles, and/or scales | → 22 |
22. Pappi usually coroniform or cyathiform (cypselae often rostrate, each with apical boss or neck), sometimes 0 (prostrate perennials) | → 23 |
22. Pappi usually of 2–4+ awns, bristles, and/or scales (not cyathiform, cypselae not rostrate), sometimes coroniform or 0 (not prostrate perennials) | → 24 |
23. Subshrubs or shrubs (erect); cypselae (some or all) strongly compressed, nota-bly winged | Wedelia |
23. Perennials (prostrate); cypselae strongly biconvex to plumply 3–4-angled (not com-pressed, not winged, epidermes usually corky, often tuberculate) | Sphagneticola |
24. Some or all cypselae winged (each bordered by wing of membranous or corky tissue different from that of body of cypsela) | → 25 |
24. Cypselae sometimes sharp-edged (not winged) | → 27 |
25. Heads in glomerules or borne singly (sessile or subsessile in axils); cypselaewinged (rays, not discs, wings lacerate) | Synedrella |
25. Heads borne singly or in corymbiform, dichasiiform, or paniculiform arrays (not sessile); cypselae winged (rays and discs, wings not lacerate) | → 26 |
26. Phyllaries 9–30 in 1–4 series (outer 2–5 similar to others, unlike foliage); pappi of 2(–3) persistent (often aristate or subulate) scales without additional scales | Verbesina |
26. Phyllaries 26–38+ in 3–4+ series (outer 2–6+ similar to foliage in shape, texture, and indument); pappi of 2–3 fragile or persistent awns or subulate scales plus 2–8+, distinct or basally connate, erose or lacerate scales (often each cypsela with additional seta on inner shoulder) | Jefea |
27. Cypselae 3–4-angled (weakly or not at all compressed or obcompressed, epidermes usually thick, corky) | → 28 |
27. Cypselae (all or at least disc) strongly compressed or obcompressed or flattened (epidermes seldom thick and corky) | → 30 |
28. Corollas white or whitish (paleae linear-filiform, not conduplicate) | Eclipta |
28. Corollas yellow to orange (paleae lanceolate to ovate, conduplicate) | → 29 |
29. Leaves elliptic, linear, oblanceolate, obovate, or ovate, glabrous or puberulent to villous and/or sericeous (outer phyllaries elliptic, oblanceolate, or ovate) | Borrichia |
29. Leaves lanceolate to lance-linear, sparsely scabrous (outer phyllaries lance-linear to linear) | Pascalia |
30. Annuals or perennials (mostly 5–30+ cm; larger leaves mostly 1–5+ cm); involucres 3–8 mm diam.; phyllaries 5 in 1(–2) series, or 8–15+ in 1–3 series | → 31 |
30. Perennials (coarse, 10–150 cm; larger leaves mostly 5–25 cm); involucres 10–30 mm diam.; phyllaries 12–35 in 2–5 series | → 32 |
31. Disc florets 25–100(–200+); receptacles conic; cypselae ellipsoid to obovoid; pappi 0, or fragile, of 1–3 bristlelike awns | Acmella |
31. Disc florets 10–20; receptacles convex; cypselae cuneate; pappi of 2(–5+) stout awns | Calyptocarpus |
32. Leaf blades oblanceolate to lanceolate or lance-linear (longer usually 8–25 cm), margins entire | Helianthella |
32. Leaf blades rounded-deltate to ovate or lance-ovate (longer usually 5–8 cm),margins coarsely serrate | Lasianthaea |
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