Flora of North America species comparison

stiffly ascending-spreading, few to many-branched.

alternate, appressed;

stipular glands present at basal nodes or throughout;

blade linear, 7–20 × 0.5–l.9 mm, margins entire, not ciliate, apex aristate.

alternate, opposite, or whorled, simple;

stipules absent or present as small, dark, spheric glands;

petiole usually absent, rarely present;

blade margins entire, serrate, or denticulate;

venation pinnate.

racemes.

terminal, racemes, panicles, or cymes (rarely thyrses or corymbs in Linum) [spikes].

3–15 mm.

sepals deciduous, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 4–7 mm, margins scarious, delicately glandular-toothed, apex aristate;

petals yellow to yellow-orange throughout, oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, 5–10 mm;

stamens (3–)4–7 mm;

anthers 0.4–1 mm;

staminodia present or absent;

styles connate nearly to apex, 2–5.7 mm;

stigmas green, capitate.

bisexual;

perianth and androecium hypogynous;

hypanthium absent;

sepals 4–5, connate basally [distinct];

petals 4–5, distinct or coherent basally, imbricate or convolute, bases sometimes with appendages;

nectary extrastaminal;

stamens 4–5 [10], connate basally, filament tube and petal bases adherent or adnate [free];

anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits;

pistil 1, 2–5-carpellate, ovary superior, 4–5-locular, placentation axile or apical-axile;

ovules 2 per locule, anatropous;

styles 2–5, distinct or partly connate;

stigmas 2–5.

capsules, dehiscence septicidal, or indehiscent or schizocarps breaking into 4 nutlets (Sclerolinon).

ovoid, 3.2–4.5 × 2.5–3.4 mm, relatively thick-walled and with characteristic thickened areas at apex in region of true septa, apex obtuse, dehiscing into 5, 2-seeded segments, segments persistent on plant, false septa complete, proximal part membranaceous, not terminating in loose fringe, distal part cartilaginous, margins ciliate.

2–3 × 0.8–1.3 mm.

2 per locule, seed coat often mucilaginous.