Balsamorhiza hookeri
{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Balsamorhiza hookeri 2.jpg
| image_caption = Balsamorhiza hookeri in flower on Badger Mountain, Douglas County Washington
| genus = Balsamorhiza
| species = hookeri
| synonyms_ref = {{ThePlantList |id=gcc-29087 |taxon=Balsamorhiza hookeri |authority=(Hook.) Nutt.}}
| synonyms =
- Balsamorhiza balsamorhiza (Hook.) A.Heller
- Balsamorhiza hirsuta Nutt.
- Balsamorhiza platylepis W.M.Sharp
- Heliopsis balsamorhiza Hook.
}}
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, 2006, Morris Book Publishing LLC., {{ISBN|0-7627-3805-7}}. p. 115. It is found in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.{{BONAP |genus=Balsamorhiza |species=hookeri |date=2014}}{{Calflora|Balsamorhiza hookeri}}{{eFloras|1|250066209|Balsamorhiza hookeri |first=William A. |last=Weber |volume=21}}
Description
The leaves are compound pinnate, with the leaflet divisions also divided or deeply lobed. Basal leaves are hairy and may be up to {{convert|16|in|cm}} long.
There may be one to several stems, which are leafless and hairy, and topped by one flower each.{{Cite book|last=Taylor|first=Ronald J.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/25708726|title=Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary|publisher=Mountain Press Pub. Co|year=1994|isbn=0-87842-280-3|edition=rev.|location=Missoula, MT|pages=148|language=en|oclc=25708726|orig-year=1992}}
It blooms from April to July. Flower heads are {{convert|1|to|3|in|cm}} wide, and sunflower-like, with 10–21 fringe-tipped ray flowers and numerous disc flowers. The flower bract has long hairs. Hitchcock, C.L. and Cronquist, A. 2018. Flora of the Pacific Northwest, 2nd Edition, p. 550. University of Washington Press, Seattle. Burke Herbarium Image Collection| http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Balsamorhiza%20hookeri
Distribution and habitat
It grows to {{convert|9000|ft|m}} in dry, grassy meadows in sagebrush steppe and montane plant communities in the Great Basin. It is common at much lower elevations in central Washington State scablands.
Ecology
Uses
Balsamroots have been used as food and medicine by native peoples for many years."[https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/balsamorhiza-hookeri Hairy Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza hookeri var. hispidula)]" by Charmaine Delmatier, United States Forest Service. 2014. Accessed March 11, 2025.
Gallery
Image: Balsamorhiza hookeri JHT iNat-158690200.jpg|Flower side view
Image: Balsamorhiza hookeri JHT iNat-160450038.jpg|Plant top view
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{commons category-inline|Balsamorhiza hookeri}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q15545542}}
Category:Flora of the Western United States