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Arrow Leaved Balsam Root
Balsamorhiza sagittata
  
About Arrow Leaved Balsam Root (Balsamorhiza sagittata) 4 Nurseries Carry This Plant Balsamorhiza sagittata is a species of flowering plant in the sunflower tribe of the plant family Asteraceae known by the common name arrowleaf balsamroot. It is native to much of western North America from British Columbia to California to the Dakotas, where it grows in many types of habitat from mountain forests to grassland to desert scrub. It is drought tolerant. This is a taprooted perennial herb growing a hairy, hairy stem 20 to 60 centimeters tall. The branching, barky root may extend over two meters deep into the soil. The basal leaves are generally triangular in shape and are large, approaching 50 centimeters in maximum length. Leaves farther up the stem are linear to narrowly oval in shape and smaller. The leaves have untoothed edges and are coated in fine to rough hairs, especially on the undersides. The flower cluster bears one or more flower heads. Each head has a center of long yellowish tubular disc florets and a fringe of bright yellow ray florets, each up to 4 centimeters long. The fruit is a hairless achene about 8 millimeters long. Grazing animals find the plant palatable, especially the flowers and developing seed heads. Many Native American groups, including the Nez Perce, Kootenai, Cheyenne, and Salish, utilized the plant as a food and medicine.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Perennial herb

Size
Size
0.7 - 2 ft tall

Form
Form
Upright

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate

Flower Color
Flower Color
Yellow

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring

Wildlife Supported
 


 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 1 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Low

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Soil Description
Soil Description
Prefers loamy or clay soils. Grows poorly in sandy soils.

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: 3 mos. stratification ( Young and Evans 1979). Check periodically to remove and pot germinating seeds.

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Open places

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 5.8" - 119.3", Summer Precipitation: 0.31" - 4.10", Coldest Month: 26.2" - 47.4", Hottest Month: 48.4" - 73.2", Humidity: 0.59" - 26.64", Elevation: 1820" - 9267"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Arrow Leaved Balsamroot, Arrow-leaf Balsamroot, Arrowleaf Balsamroot


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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