Arrowleaf Balsamroot
Balsamorhiza sagittata
Bold yellow sunflowers rise over big silvery arrowhead leaves, gilding entire hillsides of the sagebrush steppe in spring. A deep taproot makes it drought-proof and long-lived. The root, shoots, and oil-rich seed were all significant foods, the root traditionally pit-baked for days until sweet — though large quantities of the leaves reportedly cause drowsiness.
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Type
- wildflower
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 2–2 ft
- Spacing
- 1–2 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- dry, moist
- Soil pH
- neutral, alkaline
- Bloom
- May, June, July
- Bloom colors
- yellow
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, butterflies, mammals
- Landscape uses
- border
- Native states
- AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, OR, SD, UT, WA, WY