Linum australe
Linum alatum
southern flax
wing flax
stiffly ascending-spreading, few to many-branched.
spreading to suberect, branched at base.
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.
opposite near base or alternate throughout, divergent to widely ascending;
stipular glands present;
blade linear to narrowly linear-lanceolate, 10–30 × 1–3 mm, margins entire, ciliate, apex apiculate.
racemes.
panicles;
bracts with irregular scarious margins.
3–15 mm.
3–8 mm, stout.
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.
sepals deciduous, inner sepals somewhat shorter than outer, regularly and delicately glandular-toothed, outer sepals ovate or obovate, 6–8 mm, margins widely scarious, undulate or crenate, with sessile gland near apex of each crenation, apex conspicuously aristate;
petals yellow, grading to reddish near base, obovate, 9–18 mm;
stamens 5–8 mm;
anthers 1–2 mm;
with or without staminodia;
styles connate nearly to apex, 5–10 mm;
stigmas capitate.
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.
ovoid, 3.5–4.5 × 3–3.8 mm, apex obtuse, dehiscing into 5, 2-seeded segments, segments persistent on plant, false septa incomplete, united more than halfway, proximal part membranaceous with basal, 5-sided cartilaginous plates, distal part cartilaginous, constituting more than 1/2 of false septum, margins not ciliate.
2–3 × 0.8–1.3 mm.
2.3–2.8 × 1–1.3 mm.
= 30
Linum australe
Linum alatum
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
The stems of Linum australe are strongly ridged-sulcate to ribbed, especially distally. The corollas are broadly funnelform; petals are yellow to yellow-orange; stamens and styles are yellow; stigmas are bright to olive green. Staminodia in L. australe are short, deltoid, usually two between each pair of stamens, sometimes one or absent. Linum australe is the only species in its range that is glabrous beyond the base and has connate styles. It differs from L. aristatum, which it overlaps in the southern part of the range, in being much more highly branched and having more slender capsules. C. M. Rogers (1984) noted a compact form found in sunny areas from Wyoming northward that warrants more study.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Linum alatum has broadly funnelform corollas that are deep yellow distally, grading through a diffuse pale wine red band of color, the red color extending along the petal veins. The filaments, anthers, styles, and stigmas are yellow. The distinct portions of the styles spread at nearly right angles to the style axis, and the styles are sometimes eccentric. The unique gland-tipped crenations of the sepal margins set L. alatum apart from other species. Its thick pedicels and thickened cartilaginous areas on the capsule also are distinctive. The stems of L. alatum are smooth proximally, strongly ribbed distally. The species occurs in Texas in the east-central, Gulf, and southern mesquite plains regions (and adjacent Tamaulipas) with one historical record from southwestern Louisiana.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Stipular glands present only at proximal nodes; stamens (3–)4–5 mm; styles (2–)2.7–3.3(–4) mm. | var. australe |
1. Stipular glands present at nodes throughout plant; stamens 5–7 mm; styles 3.6–5.7 mm. | var. glandulosum |
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USDA Plants Database
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