Common Name: Oregon Sunflower

General Information

Balsamorhiza sagittata is a herbaceous, perennial plant growing from a woody taproot. The leaves are mainly basal, usually 5 - 25cm long with flowering stems 20 - 40cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. The plant is sometimes grown as an ornamental.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Western N. America - British Columbia to Alberta, south to California and Arizona, east to South Dakota and Colorado.

Habitat

Open hillsides and flat land up to moderate elevations, especially on deep soils[]. Openings, banks, flats, meadows, ridges, sagebrush scrub, conifer forests; at elevations from 900 - 2,500 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Balsamorhiza sagittata is a very cold-tolerant plant that is hardy to at least -25°c[]. It is found in areas where the mean annual rainfall is at least 225 - 330mm[].
Requires a deep fertile well-drained loam in full sun[, ]. It can grow in soils from weakly acid to moderately alkaline and also in weakly saline soils[]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[]. Plants strongly resent winter wet, but can withstand short periods when the soil is saturated[, , ].
Plants develop a large taproot that can be 10cm or more in diameter, the roots penetrating 2.7 metres or more into the soil[]. The plant is very intolerant of root disturbance and should be planted into its permanent positions whilst still small[].
The plant comes into growth very early in the year[]. It is said to be one of the more spectacular of all spring-flowering plants in the northwestern United States[].
A long-lived plant, but slow to develop. Seedlings take 3 - 4 years to flower on the best sites in the wild, and 7 - 8 years on lower precipitation sites[].
Plants withstand heavy grazing in the wild[].
Plants are very resistant to fire - although top growth is killed, the rootstock is usually unharmed by even the fiercest of fires, resprouting with increased vigour after the fire[].
The seed crop is usually good, and large quantities of seed can be produced if developing seedheads are not attacked by insects and are protected from grazing[].
Hybridizes with several other members of the genus in the subgenus Balsamorhiza, with the exception of Balsamorhiza macrophylla (a high polyploid)[].

Edible Uses

Root - raw or cooked[, , , , ]. The root has a thick crown that is edible raw[]. Roots have a sweet taste when cooked[, ]. A long slow baking is best, the Flathead Indians would bake them in a fire pit for at least 3 days[]. The roots are resinous and woody with a taste like balsam[]. Older roots can be 10cm or more in diameter[].
The roasted root is a coffee substitute[, ].

Young shoots - raw or cooked[, ]. Added to salads or used as a potherb[].
The large leaves and petioles are boiled and eaten[]. When eaten in large quantities they act like sleeping pills to cause sleepiness[].

The young flowering stem can be peeled and eaten raw like celery[, ].

Seed - raw or cooked[, , , ]. A highly prized source of food[]. It can be roasted, ground into a powder and used with cereals when making bread[, ]. The raw seed can also be ground into a powder then formed into cakes and eaten without cooking[]. The seed is rich in oil[].

Oil. The seed was a prized source of oil for many native North Americans[].

Medicinal

Oregon sunflower was quite widely employed as a medicinal herb by various native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints, but especially stomach problems[]. It is little used in modern herbalism.

The root is antirheumatic, diuretic, cathartic, diaphoretic, febrifuge and vulnerary[, ]. An infusion of the leaves, roots and stems has been used as a treatment for stomach pains, colds, whooping cough, TB, fevers and headaches[]. A decoction of the root has been taken at the beginning of labour to insure easy delivery[]. The juice from the chewed root is allowed to trickle down the throat to treat sore mouths and throats whilst the root has also been chewed to treat toothaches[].
The smoke from the root has been inhaled as a remedy for body aches such as rheumatism[].
The root is chewed or pounded and used as a paste on wounds, blisters, bites, swellings and sores[, ].

A poultice made from the coarse, large leaves has been used to treat severe burns[]. An infusion of the leaves has been used as a wash for poison ivy rash and running sores[].

The seeds have been eaten as a treatment for dysentery[].

Other Uses

The large hairy leaves are used as an insulation in shoes to keep the feet warm[].

An infusion of the root has been rubbed into the scalp to promote hair growth[].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 6 days at 18°c. Either sow the seed in individual pots or pot up the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer[].
Germination without stratification can be very low and erratic. A 12-week period of stratification was required for maximum germination, though an 8 week regime at 5°c (even though it only achieved 50% of the germination from a 12 week regime) could be a sensible option since some seeds begin germinating before the 12 weeks are up. Optimum temperatures for germination is essentially the same as optimum temperatures for stratification[].
Seed can be stored for up to 10 years[].
Division in spring. Very difficult since the plant strongly resents root disturbance[]. It is probably best to take quite small divisions, or basal cuttings, without disturbing the main clump. Pot these up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in the greenhouse until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer if they have grown sufficiently, otherwise over-winter them in the greenhouse and plant out in late spring.