Re: Balsamorhiza

Hi Barry -

In what area do you find this 'weed' growing?  Rich Dufresne's ID of a
Balsamorhiza species is certainly reasonable, but CalFlora holds no record of
any species of this genus occurring in Santa Cruz county (which is where I
believe you are?) even though Munz's A Calif. Flora & Supplement lists B.
deltoidea as an inner coast ranges species.  I can recall seeing Balsam Roots
in flower in the greater Bay Area in late Spring but am not sure if I've see
them in S.C. Co.

I've always thought that these plants would be handsome in the garden but have
never had the opportunity to try one in a landscape.  They prefer sandy,
well-drained soils, and warm, dry summers.  Grown in a garden and allowed to
go summer dry, the leaves might look a bit better by the time the go dormant. 
>From what I've observed, these plants can bulk-up considerably over time,
creating a dense mass of perennial roots, which is responsible for the large
amount of flowers one often sees on specimens.

Does any one grow these in the garden?

Seán A. O'Hara
sean(at)gimcw.org
www.hortulusaptus.com
(ask about mediterranean climate gardening forum)

> On 9/24/07, B. Garcia <paroxytone@gmail.com> wrote on Medit-Plants:
> I've been meaning to get an image of this plant for ages to ask what
> it is, and I've been unsuccessful with web searches, so here it goes.
>
> This is a very common weed in distutrbed areas, very frequent along
> roadsides and parking lots. I think it's somewhat attractive, and
> would be moreso if the plants didn't look like hell by the end of
> summer when they beguin to die. The flowers aren't as clear yellow as
> the image suggests, and this was taken from about 15 feet away from my
> car, so excuse the lack of true clarity. Hopefully it's clear enough!
>
> here's the link
> http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1354/1420862125_e79409d555.jpg?v=0
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