Balsamorhiza sericea
Encyclopedia
Balsamorhiza sericea is a species of flowering plant in the sunflower tribe
of the plant family Asteraceae
known by the common name silky balsamroot. It is native to the Klamath Mountains
of northern California
and southern Oregon
, where it grows in rocky areas, sometimes on serpentine soil
s.
ed perennial herb growing erect 20 to 40 centimeters tall. The leaves are mostly located at the base of the plant. They are vaguely fernlike, with each leaf being composed of many pairs of oppositely-arranged lobes. Each lobe is oval in shape and coated in silvery hairs.
The inflorescence
bears a single flower head
with a center of yellow disc florets and a fringe of yellow ray florets each 2 or 3 centimeters long. The fruit is an achene
just over half a centimeter 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 silky balsamroot. It is native to the Klamath Mountains
Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains, which include the Siskiyou, Marble, Scott, Trinity, Trinity Alps, Salmon, and northern Yolla-Bolly Mountains, are a rugged lightly populated mountain range in northwest California and southwest Oregon in the United States...
of northern 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...
and southern 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...
, where it grows in rocky areas, sometimes on serpentine soil
Serpentine soil
A serpentine soil is derived from ultramafic rocks, in particular serpentinite, a rock formed by the hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle....
s.
Description
Balsamorhiza sericea 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 40 centimeters tall. The leaves are mostly located at the base of the plant. They are vaguely fernlike, with each leaf being composed of many pairs of oppositely-arranged lobes. Each lobe is oval in shape and coated in silvery 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....
with a center of yellow disc florets and a fringe of yellow ray florets each 2 or 3 centimeters long. The fruit is an achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
just over half a centimeter long.