Arrowleaf balsamroot is the beloved iconic plant of the Boise Front, coloring large swathes of hillside bright yellow in spring with its sunflower-like blossoms.  The Watchman Trail is a particularly fine hike to enjoy an excellent display of arrowleaf balsamroot in late spring, though many other mid-elevation sites are equally prolific.  The large grayish arrowhead-shaped leaves distinguish this from other somewhat similar species, such as yellow mules-ear (Wyethia amplexicaulis) and little sunflower (Helianthella uniflora).

Although still abundant in many areas, the long-term flourishing of this species cannot be taken for granted.  The large sturdy root ensures the persistence of long-lived mature plants, but successful reproduction is seriously compromised in ecologically degraded sites that are now dominated by invasive annual grasses, as is the unfortunate norm for the lower foothills.  As a result, our iconic arrowleaf balsamroot is also the “poster child” of the Shifting Baseline concept, in which we tend to accept current conditions as normal, even if previous generations would have seen them as degraded, and what we call degraded future generations will think of as normal.

Bernice Bjornson had this to say about arrowleaf balsamroot in 1946:

Both [Balsamorhiza sagittata and B. hispidula] are called balsam root because of the presence of a turpentiny balsam in the root.

Balsamorhiza sagittata, the arrow-leaved, is gray green due to the generous supply of hairs on the leaves and stems. It blooms early in the spring and is often called “sunflower”.  Its root is balsam scented and is edible.

“The Indians learned that when the oily, resinous rind of the root was pared away the heart was edible, a fact that was taken advantage of by the hungry white pioneers of Utah in lean years, so that the plant is called Mormon biscuit in Utah to this day.