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 u. 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. deltoldea 



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. tereblnthacea 



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 2-16 

 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 fanceolate; 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 



HELUNTHUS (Sunflower) 



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



neutral. Disk flowers yellow or brown or purple, perfect, fertile, s-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, anlhos = a 



flower ; said to refer to the resemblance.) 



