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Balsamorhiza macrolepis  W. M. Sharp
Big scale balsam root,   California balsamroot
© 2022 R.A. Chasey
© 2023 Matt Berger
© 2022 R.A. Chasey
© 2022 R.A. Chasey
© 2023 Matt Berger
© 2019 David Greenberger
© 2020 Rebecca Schoenenberger
© 2020 Roy Johnson
© 2020 Tara Lee
© 2020 Rebecca Schoenenberger
© 2020 Rebecca Schoenenberger
© 2023 Matt Berger
© 2023 Matt Berger
© 2023 Matt Berger
© 2022 R.A. Chasey
© 2022 R.A. Chasey
© 2011 Barry Breckling
Balsamorhiza macrolepis is a perennial herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
California Rare Plant Rank: 1B.2 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere).
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
Observation Search
~184 records in California
yellowone or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Genus: Balsamorhiza
Family: Asteraceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Ultramafic affinity: 2.5 - strong indicator

Habitat: slopes

Communities: Foothill Woodland, Valley Grassland

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + CNPS + PLANTS + POWO

Alternate Names:
JEF + CNPSBalsamorhiza macrolepis var. macrolepis
Information about  Balsamorhiza macrolepis from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (BAMA3)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Limited Range: It is found only in California, where it grows in dry, open habitat, mostly in mountainous areas, mostly in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada and in the eastern Coast Ranges near San Francisco Bay. It is now becoming rare in the Coast Ranges. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 03/31/2025).