Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in central Washington; Washington to California, east to western Montana, southern Idaho, and Nevada.

Habitat: Dry, open areas at low to moderate elevations, usually in lithosol (rocky, cobbly soil).

Flowers: April-June

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Bumblebees, bees, flies, butterflies, beetles, wasps

Perennial from a carrot-like taproot, the lax, nearly naked stems 0.6-4 dm. tall.

Basal leaves 1-4 dm. long, pinnatifid, the divisions entire to deeply toothed; stem leaves often with one or more inconspicuous, linear or pinnatifid bracts near the base.

Heads solitary; involucre bracts linear to ovate, long-hairy at least marginally; rays 10-16, 1.5-3.5 cm. long.

Achenes glabrous.

Our other species with pinnatifid leaves, Balsamorhiza incana, is silky-woolly throughout, while B. hookeri is sparcely hairy.