Kingdom Plantae Family Asteraceae Genus Balsamorhiza | Order Asterales Tribe Heliantheae Rank Species | |
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Similar Balsamorhiza, Balsamorhiza sagittata, Balsamorhiza careyana, Balsamorhiza deltoidea, Lomatium triternatum | ||
Balsamorhiza hookeri (Hooker's balsamroot) is a North American species perennial plant in the sunflower family. It grows in the Great Basin and neighboring regions in the western United States. It is found in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.
Contents
Leaves and stems
Leaves are compound pinnate, with the leaflet divisions also divided or deeply lobed. Basal leaves are hairy and may be up to 16 inches (41 cm) long.
The stem is leafless and hairy.
Inflorescence and fruit
It blooms from April to July. Flower heads are 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6 cm) wide, and sunflower-like, with 10-21 fringe-tipped ray flowers and numerous disc flowers.
Habitat and range
It grows to 9,000 feet (2,700 m) in dry, grassy meadows in sagebrush steppe and montane plant communities in the Great Basin.
Ecological interactions
It tends to grow in rockier habitats than its cousin, arrow-leaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata). It hybridizes with arrow-leaf balsamroot, which has arrow shaped leaves. The result is a plant with leaves that are arrow shaped, but also deeply divided.