[Balsamroots: The Genus Balsamorhiza in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

Carey's Balsamroot, Intermediate Balsamroot

Balsamorhiza careyana

Synonym: Balsamorhiza careyana var. intermedia

Carey's balsamroot in bloom at left in grasslands at the Mill Creek Ridge Preserve, a Columbia Land Trust property outside The Dalles, OR.......April 28, 2019. The photo at right shows Carey's balsamroot blooming in prairie atop Marsh Hill in the Memaloose area, Columbia River Gorge.....April 17, 2022.

Flower head of Carey's balsamroot....Rattlesnake Hills northeast of Toppenish, WA.

Characteristics:

The large, flat flower heads of Carey's balsamroot have a 2.5 cm wide yellowish central disk surrounded by 8 or 13 yellow ray flowers. The ray flowers persist on the flower head after bloom. Flower heads may be solitary to several per leafless stem, with the terminal head larger on variety intermedia. Variety intermedia may also have up to 21 rays. The leaves are up to 30 cm long and up to 15 cm wide. The blades are heart-shaped to triangular-hastate. Plants range from 20 to 100 cm high and the herbage ranges from smooth to glandular. Carey's balsamroot flowers from March into June.

Carey's balsamroot is significantly less hairy than Balsamorhiza sagittata, with the leaves being a bright green. The involucre is also only slightly haired or woolly in contrast to the woolly involucre of B. sagittata.

Although similar to Balsamorhiza deltoidea, Carey's balsamroot keeps the dry papery rays after flowering has completed while this trait does not appear in the former species (these two species do approach each other in the mid Columbia River Gorge, but hybridization evidently does not occur).

Habitat:

Carey's balsamroot is found in dry open habitats from the lowlands extending well up into the mountains.. It has a preference for the deeper soils on sloping ground rather than the rocky hilltops.

Range:

Carey's balsamroot may be found entirely east of the Cascade Mountains from south-central British Columbia through central Washington into north-central Oregon.

Variety intermedia may be found from southern British Columbia south along the eastern base of the Cascades to the northern part of the John Day and Deschutes Rivers, and then further south to Bend, OR. The two varieties intergrade to the west and southwest of Heppner, OR. The Oregon Flora Project shows this species (var. intermedia) as far west as Wygant State Park, to the west of Hood River. It has also been reported from Tom McCall Nature Preserve (at the main viewpoint) and a documented population can be found about 1/4 mile west of US 197 on the Washington side of the River. Variety intermedia is most common on the Oregon side of the Columbia River from near Celilo east, and is abundant on slopes above the lower Deschutes River.

Variety careyana may be found from central Washington south to northern Umatilla and northern Morrow counties in Oregon. In the Columbia River Gorge, variety careyana seems to be more common on the hillsides above the mouth of the John Day River.

Close-up of the involucral bracts of Carey's balsamroot as seen in an area of sand dunes along Washington Highway 14 near milepost 115.5.............5/11/2009.

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Close-ups of Carey's balsamroot as seen along Washington Highway SR 14 near milepost 115.5 in the eastern Columbia River Gorge.........April 18, 2010.

Several views of the tardily deciduous rays which persist on the achenes of Carey's balsamroot (Balsamorhiza careyana) as seen at Catherine Creek, Columbia River Gorge.......October 21, 2018. I'm not certain that this is a consistent characteristic for this species, at least in the Columbia River Gorge.

Photos of the leafy bracts covered with long, spreading hairs and a flower head of Carey's balsamroot as seen at Canyon Creek in the Klickitat State Wildlife Area..........May 8, 2009. The bracts on some plants may be largely glabrous or more sparsely haired than the specimen above. Note also the multiple flower heads on each stem.

Examples of leaves of Carey's balsamroot as seen along Canyon Creek in the Klickitat State Wildlife Area.........May 8, 2009.

Carey's balsamroot in bloom atop Mill Creek Ridge, Wasco County, OR......March 19, 2020.

Carey's balsamroot as seen at left in an area of sand dunes along Washington Highway 14 near milepost 115.5...........5/11/2009. Note that there may be two to three flower heads per stem with the uppermost flower head the largest. The photo at right shows the dried leaves and stems of a senescent Carey's balsamroot on scabland prairie slopes above the Crawford Oaks Trailhead, Columbia Hills Historical State Park.......October 31, 2020.

Carey's balsamroot as seen (left) along Canyon Creek in the Klickitat State Wildlife Area.........May 8, 2009. The leaves of pungent desert parsley (Lomatium grayi) and Suksdorf's desert parsley (Lomatium suksdorfii) as well as an inflorescence of Hood River milkvetch (Astragalus hoodianus) can also be seen. The photo at right shows Carey's balsamroot at the mouth of Rowena Dell between Memaloose and Tom McCall Nature Preserve..........March 31, 2016.

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Additional photos of Carey's balsamroot as seen along the Bickleton Highway where it descends the eastern slope down to Rock Creek, Klickitat County.........April 18, 2010.

This is probably a hybrid plant between Balsamorhiza careyana and Balsamorhiza deltoidea as seen (left) along the Cherry Orchard Trail about one mile east of Lyle, Washington........March 16, 2013. Carey's balsamroot as seen high on Sunflower Hill at Catherine Creek.........April 13, 2016.

Carey's balsamroot (or a hybrid with Balsamorhiza deltoidea) as seen at left on Chenoweth Table at the west boundary of The Dalles, Oregon..........April 21, 2013. The photo at right shows Carey's balsamroot as seen atop the Mill Creek Ridge Preserve, Columbia Land Trust Lands to the southwest of The Dalles, OR.....April 22, 2018.

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Carey's balsamroot blooming in open oak woodlands between Little Bowman and Canyon Creeks in the Klickitat Wildlife Area.......May 17, 2017.

An example of Carey's balsamroot with double or triple rows of ray flowers as seen high on the southern slopes of Sevenmile Hill (USFS lands) to the northwest of The Dalles, OR............April 20, 2014.

The photo at left shows Carey's balsamroot (or a hybrid with Balsamorhiza deltoidea) as seen along the Memaloose Trail at Marsh Hill, Columbia River Gorge..........March 23, 2014. The photo at right shows another plant beginning to bloom high in the northwestern corner of the Columbia Hills State Park...........March 24, 2014.

Carey's balsamroot seen along the Starvation Ridge Trail, Columbia River Gorge..........April 26, 2015.

Early blooming Carey's balsamroot arising from the ground on slopes burnt by a 2014 wildfire on the southeastern side of Sevenmile Hill..........March, 2015. Note the photo of the burnt balsamroot crown with a few leaves peaking out..

Early blooming Carey's balsamroot (left) as seen on rocky, grassy slopes uphill to then northeast of the Crawford Oaks trailhead, Columbia Hills State Park.........March 3, 2015. Carey's balsamroot blooming aong the Wygant Trail under Oregon white oaks along the Wygant Trail on slopes just east of Perham Creek, Wygant State Natural Area........March 29, 2015.

Carey's balsamroots (or hybrids with B. deltoidea) as seen atop Castilleja Hill, Memaloose Trail east of Mosier, OR.........April 21, 2017.

Carey's balsamroot as seen at left along a game trail along the east bank of upper Catherine Creek, Columbia River Gorge.........April 8, 2014. The photo at right shows Carey's balsamroot blooming on benches above the Crawford Oaks trailhead at Columbia Hills Historical State Park.......April 9, 2018.

Carey's balsamroot (or hybrid with Balsamorhiza deltoidea) observed atop Mill Creek Ridge, Mill Creek Ridge Preserve, a Columbia Land Trust property......May 9, 2023.

Carey's balsamroot in bud on grassy slopes on Sevenmile Hill, Columbia River Gorge.....March4, 2021.

Paul Slichter