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Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database |
Balsamorhiza hookeri var. hirsuta (Nutt.) Nelson [9,24,25]
Balsamorhiza hookeri var. hispidula (Sharp) Cronq. [9,17,22,23,24,25,44]
Balsamorhiza hookeri var. hookeri [22,23,24]
Balsamorhiza hookeri var. idahoensis (Sharp) Cronq. [9,22,24]
Balsamorhiza hookeri var. lagocephala (Sharp) Cronq. [22,24]
Balsamorhiza hookeri var. neglecta (Sharp) Cronq. [9,17,23,24,25,44]
Balsamorhiza hookeri var. platylepis (Sharp) Cronq. [9]
Balsamorhiza hookeri var. neglecta may hybridize with arrowleaf balsamroot (B. sagittata) [17].
LIFE FORM:Quinney [32] suggested that Hooker's balsamroot and arrowleaf balsamroot were both abundant in presettlement sagebrush (Artemisia spp.)-grasslands of the Snake River Plain in southwestern Idaho. They have since become rare due to overgrazing, nonnative plant invasions, and altered fire regimes [32].
ECOSYSTEMS [15]:AZ | CA | CO |
ID | NV | OR |
UT | WA | WY |
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Margaret Williams @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database |
Hooker's balsamroot is a perennial forb [17,44]. It has a woody taproot [17,19,40], with a minimum rooting depth of 18 inches (46 cm) [41]. Leaves are 4 to 12 inches (10-30 cm) long and grow from a basal rosette [19,21,40,44]. Flower stalks are 4 to 12 inches (10-30 cm) long [21,40,41]. Fruits are achenes [40].
RAUNKIAER [34] LIFE FORM:Pollination: No information is available on this topic.
Breeding system: No information is available on this topic.
Seed production: Plants Database [41] indicates "fruit/seed abundance" is "medium."
Seed dispersal: Plants Database [41] indicates seed spread rate is "slow."
Seed banking: No information is available on this topic.
Germination: No information is available on this topic.
Seedling establishment/growth: A review by Stevens and Monsen [37] suggests that initial establishment is difficult and seedling growth is slow, although once established, Hooker's balsamroot persistence is high. Plants Database [41] indicates seedling vigor is "medium."
Asexual regeneration: Hooker's balsamroot does not appear to spread vegetatively [41]; however, it probably sprouts from the caudex following top-kill.
SITE CHARACTERISTICS:Climatic: According to Plants Database [41], annual precipitation requirements for Hooker's balsamroot are between 9 and 20 inches (230-510 mm), minimum temperature tolerated is -18 °F (-28 °C), and minimum frost-free days are 120.
Edaphic/physiographic: Physical descriptions of Hooker's balsamroot sites typically cite dry, open, and rocky or gravelly conditions, both on hillsides and flats [9,19,40]. Hooker's balsamroot occurs mainly in foothills and lowlands [9], but reported elevations range from 2,600 feet (800 m) in northern California [21] to 9,500 feet (2,900 m) on Wheeler Peak in Nevada [9]. According to Plants Database [41], Hooker's balsamroot is adapted to a wide range of soil textures; its drought tolerance, calcium carbonate tolerance, and salinity tolerance are all "medium"; its fertility requirement is "low"; and it grows on soils with a pH range of 6.6 to 9.0. A review by Stevens and Monsen [37] suggested it is not tolerant (1 on a scale of 1-5) of flooding.
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS:Arrowleaf balsamroot sprouts from the caudex following fire damage, and it is likely that Hooker's balsamroot does the same. It is also possible that Hooker's balsamroot colonizes postfire habitats by seed. However, as of this writing (2006) there is not enough published information about Hooker's balsamroot seed biology to even speculate about postfire seedling establishment (see Regeneration Processes). More research is needed to help understand the fire adaptations of Hooker's balsamroot.
Fire regimes: As of this writing (2006), there is very little published information describing interactions between Hooker's balsamroot and specific fire regimes. Goodrich and Huber [16] noted that Hooker's balsamroot was frequently found within experimental plots in mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata spp. vaseyana) communities on lower slopes of the Uinta Mountains in Utah. While neither the extent of prescribed burning nor the preexisting fire history within the study area were described in detail, it was mentioned that fire frequency in these units was historically "rather high." Further, on one site that was burned 2 years prior to measurement, sampled Hooker's balsamroot frequency was 89% [16]. More research is needed to provide a clearer understanding of the relationships between Hooker's balsamroot occurrence and various fire regime characteristics.
The following table provides fire return intervals for plant communities and ecosystems where Hooker's balsamroot might occur. Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under "Find Fire Regimes".
Community or ecosystem | Dominant species | Fire return interval range (years) |
silver sagebrush steppe | Artemisia cana | 5-45 [20,33,47] |
sagebrush steppe | Artemisia tridentata/Pseudoroegneria spicata | 20-70 [30] |
basin big sagebrush | Artemisia tridentata var. tridentata | 12-43 [35] |
mountain big sagebrush | Artemisia tridentata var. vaseyana | 15-40 [4,8,29] |
Wyoming big sagebrush | Artemisia tridentata var. wyomingensis | 10-70 ( x=40) [42,48] |
saltbush-greasewood | Atriplex confertifolia-Sarcobatus vermiculatus | <35 to >100 [30,49] |
cheatgrass | Bromus tectorum | <10 [31,45] |
blackbrush | Coleogyne ramosissima | <35 to <100 [30] |
western juniper | Juniperus occidentalis | 20-70 [30] |
Rocky Mountain juniper | Juniperus scopulorum | <35 [30] |
wheatgrass plains grasslands | Pascopyrum smithii | <5-47+ [30,33,47] |
pinyon-juniper | Pinus-Juniperus spp. | <35 [30] |
Colorado pinyon | Pinus edulis | 10-400+ [14,18,26,30] |
Pacific ponderosa pine* | Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa | 1-47 [3] |
interior ponderosa pine* | Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum | 2-30 [3,5,28] |
mountain grasslands | Pseudoroegneria spicata | 3-40 ( x=10) [2,3] |
Arrowleaf balsamroot sprouts from the caudex following fire damage, and it is likely that Hooker's balsamroot does the same. More research is needed to help understand the immediate effects on, as well as postfire responses of, Hooker's balsamroot.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE:As of this writing (2006) there is no information concerning the importance of Hooker's balsamroot for wildlife.
Palatability/nutritional value: A review by Stevens and Monsen [37] indicates that Hooker's balsamroot palatability is excellent in early spring, but poor by summer.
The following table provides data on average mineral composition of dried aboveground Hooker's balsamroot tissue sampled in late June and July from 25 study sites in central and northern Utah [46].
K (%) | Na (%) | Ca (%) | Mg (%) | Cu (ppm) | Zn (ppm) |
5.10 | 0.10 | 0.47 | 0.62 | 13 | 28 |
Cover value: No information is available on this topic.
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