COMPOSITACEAE (COMPOSITE FAMILY) 227 



BALSAMORHIZA (BALSAM-ROOT) 



Perennial, low, with scapelike or few-leaved stems ; roots thick, resinous. 

 Leaves entire to 2-pinnate. Heads radiate, many-flowered, 1-7 on a stem; 

 receptacle flat or barely convex. Disk flowers perfect. (Gk. balsamon = 

 balsam, rhiza = root; the root is aromatic.) 



A. Leaves entire to serrate; stems with 1-7 heads. 



B. Ray corolla 2-2.5 cm. long, persistent to the akenes; akenes all canescent. E. 



B. careyana 



BB. Ray corollas 2.5-5 cm. long, deciduous from the akenes; akenes all glabrous. 

 C. Plant silvery-canescent; involucre woolly; stem leaves linear to spatulate. E. 



B. sagittata 



CC. Plant green, though pubescent to glabrate; involucre not woolly or only so 

 at base; stem-leaves lanceolate. W. E. B. deltoidea 



AA. Leaves laciniately lobed to 2-pinnatifid; stems with only i head. 

 D. Plant green, glabrous or somewhat hairy. 



E. Leaves deltoid in outline, entire to laciniate, not stiff-hairy; involucre more or 

 less woolly, not stiff-hairy. E. B. terebinthacea 



EE. Leaves lanceolate in outline, pinnately-parted or -divided, stiff-hairy; in- 

 volucre rarely woolly, stiff-hairy. E. B. hirsuta 

 DD. Plant canescent or white-tomentose. 



F. Plant canescent with appressedor spreading hairs; leaf divisions linear. W. E. 



B. hookeri 



FF. Plant densely white-tomentose with often floccose hairs; leaf division oval or 

 oblong. E. B. incana 



WYETHIA 



Perennial; stems usually simple, from stout root or rhizome. Heads 

 large, i to few, all alike ; receptacle slightly convex. Ray. flowers 2-10 

 cm. long. Disk flowers 5-toothed. Akenes 4~5-angled. (Honor of 

 N. J. Wyeth, an American botanist.) 



A. Ray corollas white to pale yellow; leaves oval to broadly lanceolate; stem stiff- 

 hairy. E. W. helianthoides 

 AA. Ray corollas bright yellow; leaves oblong-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate. 

 B. Plant sparsely stiff-hairy; involucre very stiff-hairy. W. E. W. angustifolia 

 BB. Plant smooth and glabrous throughout; involucre glabrous. 

 C. Basal leaves oblong-lanceolate, 17-38 cm. long, 7-10 cm. wide; upper stem 

 leaves partly clasping. E. W. amplexicaulis (PE-IK) 

 CC. Basal leaves lanceolate, 5-15 cm. long, 2-10 cm. wide; upper stem leaves 

 barely sessile and not clasping. E. W. lanceolata 



HELIANTHUS (SUNFLOWER) 



Leaves simple. Heads large; receptacle flat to conic. Ray flowers 

 neutral. Disk flowers yellow or brown or purple, perfect, fertile, 5-lobed. 

 Akene flattish to 4-angled. Pappus of 2 scales or awns, or sometimes with 

 2-4 additional shorter ones, deciduous. (Gk. helios = the sun, anthos = a 

 flower ; said to refer to the resemblance.) 



