Balsamorhiza macrolepis
Encyclopedia
Balsamorhiza macrolepis is a species of flowering plant in the sunflower tribe
of the plant family Asteraceae
known by the common name California balsamroot. It is native to California
, Nevada
, and Oregon
in the western United States, where it grows in dry, open habitat, mostly in mountainous areas.
ed perennial herb growing erect 20 to 60 centimeters tall. The large lobed leaves are lance-shaped to oval and the largest, generally toward the base of the plant, may approach 50 centimeters in length. They are bright to dull grayish-green and coated in fine hairs.
The inflorescence
bears a single flower head
lined with hairy, glandular phyllaries
up to 4 centimeters long. The head has a center of yellowish disc florets and a fringe of pointed yellow ray florets each 2 or 3 centimeters long.
Heliantheae
Heliantheae is the third largest tribe in the sunflower family . With some 190 genera and nearly 2500 recognized species, only the tribes Senecioneae and Astereae are larger. The name is derived from the genus Helianthus, which is Greek for sun flower. Most genera and species are found in North...
of the plant family Asteraceae
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
known by the common name California balsamroot. It is native to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, and Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
in the western United States, where it grows in dry, open habitat, mostly in mountainous areas.
Description
This is a taprootTaproot
A taproot is an enlarged, somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally.Plants with taproots are difficult to transplant...
ed perennial herb growing erect 20 to 60 centimeters tall. The large lobed leaves are lance-shaped to oval and the largest, generally toward the base of the plant, may approach 50 centimeters in length. They are bright to dull grayish-green and coated in fine hairs.
The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
bears a single flower head
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
lined with hairy, glandular phyllaries
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
up to 4 centimeters long. The head has a center of yellowish disc florets and a fringe of pointed yellow ray florets each 2 or 3 centimeters long.