Balsamorhiza lanata

Woolly balsamroot

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Woolly balsamroot is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges and northern Cascade Range in Shasta Valley, Siskiyou County, inhabiting open woodland and grassy slopes at elevations of 800 to 1,050 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces bright yellow ray flowers with large heads measuring 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters across. Growing with densely woolly stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it develops a robust basal rosette of distinctive foliage. Its basal leaves are large and complex, with lanceolate to widely ovate blades divided into narrow linear-oblong segments, covered in dense white woolly hairs that give the plant its distinctive appearance. The fruit is 5 to 6 millimeters long, developing after the plant's showy yellow flowering period.

Habitat: Open woodland, grassy slopes

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 800-1050 m

Bioregions: KR (Scott Mtns), n CaRH (Shasta Valley, Siskiyou Co.).

California counties: Siskiyou, Lassen, Alpine, Nevada, Sierra, Modoc, Plumas

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.