''Balsamorhiza'' is a genus of plants in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

known commonly as balsamroots. These are perennials with fleshy

taproot A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally. Typically a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproo ...

s and caudices bearing erect stems and large, basal leaves. Atop the tall stems are showy yellow sunflower-like blooms. Balsamroots are native to western North America (

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

). Native Americans used the sticky sap of this plant as a topical antiseptic for minor wounds. The entire plant is edible and nutritious, but not necessarily enjoyable because it contains a bitter, strongly pine-scented sap. The large taproots produced by ''

Balsamorhiza sagittata ''Balsamorhiza sagittata'' is a North American species of flowering plant in the tribe Heliantheae of the family Asteraceae known by the common name Arrowleaf Balsamroot. It is widespread across western Canada and much of the western United Stat ...

'' are edible and were harvested, dried, and ground into a starchy flour by Native Americans when other food plants were scarce. The plants' large taproots are reported to be very palatable and far less bitter than the above-ground parts of the plant.Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West, Gregory L. Tilford, The plant grows on dry hillsides and dry open meadows throughout the Mountain West of North America. The plant can be easily confused with species belonging to the genus '' Wyethia'' (mule's ears); and ''Wyethia'' and ''Balsamorhiza'' tend to have very similar appearances and flowering habits. ''Wyethia'' species are easily distinguished from ''Balsamorhiza'' due to their very sharply lanced leaves which lack the ''fuzzy silver gray'' appearance of ''Balsamorhiza'' species. ''

'' is the most common and widespread species in the genus within the Mountain West of North America. Palatable to wildlife and livestock, this is a herb that decreases under grazing. Though once covering much of the arid west in spring, this common forb has become uncommon and even disappeared in some areas like the Snake River Plains. The presence of this plant can be used as an indicator of overall range health—fewer plants and flowers indicate over-utilization of pastures and/or allotments. Hillsides covered with these flowers and perennial

bunchgrasses Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perennia ...

and

sagebrush Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus '' Artemisia''. The best known sagebrush is the shrub '' Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrushes are native to the North American west. Following is an al ...

can quickly become wastelands of cheatgrass and tumblemustard if cattle or other stock overgraze, consuming the herb and grass energy reserves again and again until the plants individually die, while crushing their only shade.

Species and nothospecies

There are about 13 species and two

nothospecies #REDIRECT Hybrid name In botanical nomenclature, a hybrid may be given a hybrid name, which is a special kind of botanical name, but there is no requirement that a hybrid name should be created for plants that are believed to be of hybrid origin. T ...

: * '' Balsamorhiza × bonseri'' - Washington State * '' Balsamorhiza careyana'' - Carey's balsamroot - Washington, Oregon * '' Balsamorhiza deltoidea'' - deltoid balsamroot - British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California * '' Balsamorhiza hispidula'' - Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Arizona * ''

Balsamorhiza hookeri ''Balsamorhiza hookeri'' (Hooker's balsamroot) is a North American species of perennial plant in the family Asteraceae. It grows in the Great Basin and neighboring regions in the Western United States.Great Basin Wildflowers, Laird R. Blackwell, ...

'' - Hooker's balsamroot - Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona * '' Balsamorhiza incana'' - hoary balsamroot - Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington * '' Balsamorhiza lanata'' - lanate balsamroot - Oregon, California * '' Balsamorhiza macrolepis'' - California balsamroot - California * '' Balsamorhiza macrophylla'' - cutleaf balsamroot - Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Utah * '' Balsamorhiza rosea'' - rosy balsamroot - Washington, Oregon * ''

'' - arrowleaf balsamroot - British Columbia, Alberta, much of western USA * '' Balsamorhiza sericea'' - silky balsamroot - Oregon, California * '' Balsamorhiza serrata'' - serrate balsamroot or toothed balsamroot - Nevada, Washington, Oregon, California * '' Balsamorhiza terebinthacea'' - Washington, Oregon, California * '' Balsamorhiza × tomentosa'' - Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon

References

External links

CalFlora Database: ''Balsamorhiza''
— ''species + images''. *
USDA Plants Profile for ''Balsamorhiza''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2473291 Asteraceae genera Flora of Western Canada Flora of the Western United States Taxa named by William Jackson Hooker Taxa named by Thomas Nuttall