BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Balsamorhiza deltoidea
deltoid balsamroot
| Scientific Name: | Balsamorhiza deltoidea Nutt. | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | deltoid balsamroot | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vascular Plant | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | BALSDEL | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Mar 2025) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S2 (Apr 2019) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Red | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | Endangered (Apr 2009) | ||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | 1 - Endangered (Jun 2003) | ||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 1 - At Risk (2010) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Technical Description: | |||||||||||
| Subspecies Comments: | No subspecies described | ||||||||||
| Identification Comments: | Balsamorhiza deltoidea Nutt. is a member of the large Asteraceae family. It is a large perennial arising from a thick and deep-reaching taproot. The plants are generally 30 to 80 cm tall when in flower and have large, triangular leaf blades on 15 to 30 cm petioles. The nearly leaf-less flowering stalks usually exceed the foliage and bear 9 to 15 cm diameter, showy yellow "sunflowers". Three to 4 cm large seedheads develop on the elongating stalks. Seeds are 7 to 8 mm long and resemble miniature sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seeds. | ||||||||||
| Similar Species: | In British Columbia there are no look-alikes. A related species, Balsamorhiza sagittata, is restricted to the BC mainland east of the Coast Mountains / Cascades chain. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Reproduction Comments: | No information is available on the main pollinators, self-compatibility or outcrossing, means or vectors of seed dispersal, longevity of seeds in the ground and of plants once established. Judging from garden experiments, seed dormancy does not appear to be a particular problem. The seeds are relatively large and ought to be attractive as food for invertebrates, and small vertebrates. It may therefore be assumed that small mammals and birds carry and cache the seeds and that this is a means of dispersal. The numerous disk flowers often produce only few seeds, apparently due to abortion of ovules (Maze et al. 1990), but also due to invertebrate seed predation (author's observations). In addition to this, Balsamorhiza deltoidea is subject to all kinds of herbivory: Seedlings and young leaves are eaten by invertebrates, including introduced slugs and sowbugs, as well as cutworms (larvae of moths). The plants are also vulnerable to grazing by introduced cottontail rabbits, native deer and domestic livestock (Roemer 2003). The time from germination to the flowering stage in garden experiments is 2 to 7 years. For natural occurrences and dry sites it is probably at least 5 years. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Ecology Comments: | In British Columbia, Balsamorhiza deltoidea is a component of grass/herb communities highly associated with the Garry oak ecosystem, or of closely related communities where it grows outside the Garry oak realm (i.e. Campbell River population). On southeast Vancouver Island where the majority of occurrences are, frequent associates among native plants are Bromus carinatus, Camassia leichtlinii & quamash, Eriophyllum lanatum, Lomatium utriculatum, Dodecatheon hendersonii, Elymus glaucus, Delphinium menziesii, Zygadenus venenosus, Cerastium arvense, Sanicula crassicaulis, Fritillaria affinis, Danthonia californica, Carex inops and Fragaria virginiana. The shoreline population at Campbell River is distinguished by having Lupinus littoralis, Festuca rubra ssp. arenicola and Rosa nutkana as conspicuous components. Other frequently associated shrubs are in both cases Mahonia aquifolium and Symphoricarpos albus. While frequently located near woody vegetation, Balsamorhiza deltoidea is also susceptible to competition from this vegetation as it requires high light levels to thrive. Particularly in degraded habitats characterized by a high number of introductions, Balsamorhiza is subject to herbivory by both invertebrates (introduced slugs, native moth larvae) and mammals (introduced cottontail rabbits, native deer). Seed predation also appears to be common as only few intact seeds are usually found in each of the many-flowered seedheads. Great differences in the health and vigor of the plants is found between disturbed sites in Greater Victoria and more intact, natural sites such as those at Mt. Tzuhalem. | ||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Forest / Garry Oak Woodland / Facultative - frequent use
Forest / Mixed Forest (deciduous/coniferous mix) / Facultative - frequent use Grassland/Shrub / Garry Oak Maritime Meadow / Facultative - frequent use Other Unique Habitats / Beach / Facultative - occasional use Other Unique Habitats / Sand Dune / Facultative - occasional use Rock/Sparsely Vegetated Rock / Rock/Sparsely Vegetated Rock / Facultative - frequent use |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | Balsamorhiza deltoidea occurs on "open hillsides, [and] openings in chaparral or forests" from 60 to 2400 m in elevation (FNA 2006). In British Columbia, Canada, it is found in open rocky woodlands and dry grassy areas (Douglas et al. 1998). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Habitat Comments: | Balsamorhiza deltoidea is a drought-tolerant species. Within the Garry oak range on southeastern Vancouver Island, it grows on slopes in openings of the oak woodlands, often as a fringe along the edge of groups of trees and shrubs. Where it occurs outside the Garry oak range (i.e. Campbell River population), the population is located a few metres above tidewater on a flat marine gravel/sand terrace. In both cases, excellent drainage and full exposure to the sun are important factors, in the former through steep, south-facing slopes, and in the latter through the fast-draining gravelly/sandy parent material. On the slopes of the Garry oak ecosystem, Balsamorhiza sites are usually located below portions of solid bedrock in accumulated talus and colluvium, or on fractured and deeply weathered rock that provides opportunities to accomodate the deep reaching tap roots. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
Feb: Germinating /
Mar: Vegetative, Germinating / Vegetative, Flowering Apr: Vegetative, Germinating, Flowering / Vegetative, Flowering May: Vegetative, Flowering / Vegetative, Fruiting Jun: Vegetative, Fruiting / Fruiting Jul: Fruiting / Fruiting |
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| Provincial Phenology Comments: | Deltoid balsamroot is in some years seen in bloom as early as mid-March, but April is more common. Seed is usually ripe by mid-summer. Germination in garden experiments is in early spring, but timing remains to be determined in the wild. | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): | Provincial: 4 / 200 | ||||||||||
| Known Pests: | |||||||||||
| Pollen Vector: | |||||||||||
| Pollinator: | |||||||||||
| Dispersal: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Inventory | |||||||||||
| Inventory Priority: | C - Moderate | ||||||||||
| Ownership of occurrences (Known locations): | Mixed private/government | ||||||||||
| Inventory Need: | The above ownership summary is bound to be deceiving because the 3 element occurrences forming the majority of local government ownership only add up to a small portion of the total number of individuals. There is only a moderate need for inventories aiming to find additional occurrences or to re-discover older occurrences. Deltoid balsamroot is large and conspicuous, especially when in bloom. It is therefore, to be expected that all significant populations have been found, particularly since the range of the species coincides with the densely populated portions of Vancouver Island. It is unknown if the Cape Mudge population still exists and another population is rumored to have been on private land near Quamichan Lake (S. Watts, pers.comm. 2005). These two locations should receive focus for new inventories. | ||||||||||
| Inventory Comments: | Systematic monitoring includes some inventory-type activities. Monitoring should receive high priority to enable more accurate trend information. | ||||||||||
| Economic Attributes | |||||||||||
| Provincial Economic Comments: | No economic uses are known. However, this showy species has a good potential for native plant gardening. | ||||||||||
| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | Balsamorhiza deltoidea occurs in western North America, from British Columbia, Canada south to Washington, Oregon, and California in the United States (FNA 2006). Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1994 and 2025 (RARECAT 2024, GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, SEINet 2025). | ||||||||||
| Disjunct, more common elsewhere: | N | ||||||||||
| Peripheral, major distribution elsewhere: | Y | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | N. Ventrella (2025) | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Mar 24, 2025 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | Roemer, H. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Jan 15, 2005 | ||||||||||
| Last Literature Search: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
B.C. Ministry of Environment. Recovery Planning in BC. B.C. Minist. Environ. Victoria, BC. |
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COSEWIC. 2008t. COSEWIC assessment and update status report on Deltoid Balsamroot Balsamorhiza deltoidea in Canada. Comm. on the Status of Endangered Wildl. in Can. Ottawa. In press. |
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Douglas, G.W., and L-M. Richards. April 17, 1997. Field survey of Mount Tzuhalem Ecological Reserve to resurvey populations of Balsamorhiza deltoidea and Viola praemorsa var. praemorsa. |
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Douglas, G.W., and M. Ryan. 2001. Status of the Deltoid Balsamroot, Balsamorhiza deltoidea (Asteraceae) in Canada. Can. Field-Nat. 115(3):451-454. |
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Douglas, G.W., D. Meidinger, and J. Penny. 2002. Rare Native Vascular Plants of British Columbia, 2nd ed. B.C. Conserv. Data Centre, Terrestrial Inf. Branch, Victoria. 358pp. |
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Douglas, G.W., G.B. Straley, D. Meidinger, and J. Pojar, editors. 1998. The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia. Volume 1. Gynmosperms and Dicotyledons (Aceraceae through Asteraceae). British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks and British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Victoria. |
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Douglas, G.W., G.D. Straley, and D. Meidinger, eds. 1998b. Illustrated Flora of British Columbia, Vol. 1, Gymnosperms and Dicotyledons (Aceraceae through Asteraceae). B.C. Minist. Environ., Lands and Parks, Wildl. Branch, and B.C. Minist. For. Res. Program. 436pp. |
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Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2006c. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 21. Magnoliophyta: Asteridae, part 8: Asteraceae, part 3. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxii + 616 pp. |
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Hitchcock, C. L., and A. Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. Univ. Wash. Press, Seattle. |
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Kruckeberg, A.R. 1982. Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest. Douglas and McIntyre Press, Vancouver. 252pp. |
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Lea, E. 2002. Historical Garry Oak ecosystems of Greater Victoria and the Saanich Peninsula. 1:20,000 scale maps. Prepared for Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team by Terrestrial Inf. Branch, B.C. Minist. Sustainable Resour. Manage., Victoria. |
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Maslovat, C. 2009. Guidelines for Translocation of Plant Species at Risk in British Columbia. B.C. Minist. of Environ. Victoria, BC. |
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Maze, J., K.A. Robson, S. Banerjee, L.R. Bohm and R.K. Scagel. 1990. Quantitative studies in early ovule and fruit development: Developmental constraints in Balsamorhiza sagittata and B. hookeri. Botanical Gazette 15:415-422. |
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Ownbey, M., and W.A. Weber. 1943. Natural hybridization in the genus Balsamorhiza. Am. J. Bot. 36:179-187. |
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Roemer, H. 1993. Rare or interesting plants in B.C. Ecological Reserves and Ecological Reserve Proposed Areas. |
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Roemer, H. 2005. Synoptic table of Balsamorhiza deltoidea occurrences in British Columbia. |
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Roemer, Hans. 2002. A plant species inventory with emphasis on rare species: Fort Rodd Hill/Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites. Rep. prepared for Parks Can., August 2002. 19pp. + app. and photos. |
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Roemer, Hans. 2003. Rare plant monitoring at Mill Hill Regional Park. A project carried out for Capital Regional District Parks. Roemer Field Botany Consulting. 19pp.+ photos and map. |
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Ryan, M., and G.W. Douglas. 1996a. Status Report on Deltoid balsamroot, Balsamorhiza deltoidea, in Canada. Unpubl. rep. submitted to the Comm. on the Status of Endangered Wildl. in Can. Ottawa. 30pp. |
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Ryan, M.W., and G.W. Douglas. 1999. Status of Deltoid Balsamroot in British Columbia. B.C. Minist. Environ., Lands and Parks, Wildl. Branch. Tech. Bull. B-90. 20pp. |
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Turner, N., and M.A.M. Bell. 1971. The ethnobotany of the Coast Salish Indians of Vancouver Island. Economic Bot. 25: 63-104. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2025. Species Summary: Balsamorhiza deltoidea. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 10, 2026).