Linum australe
Linum floridanum
southern flax
Florida yellow flax
stiffly ascending-spreading, few to many-branched.
erect, usually unbranched, sometimes branched from 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.
proximal usually opposite, distal alternate, rarely all alternate, appressed-ascending;
stipular glands absent;
blade linear-oblanceolate or oblanceolate, 10–20 × 1–3.2 mm, margins entire, not ciliate, apex sharply acute.
racemes.
corymbs.
3–15 mm.
0.5–3.5 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.
sepals persistent, narrowly lanceolate, outer sepals 2.5–4.5 mm, inner somewhat shorter, broader than outer, margins not scarious, inner conspicuously glandular-toothed, outer entire, apex acute;
petals lemon yellow, obovate, 5.5–9.5 mm;
stamens 2 mm;
anthers 0.5–1.5 mm;
staminodia absent;
styles distinct, 2–4.5 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.
pyriform or ovoid, 2–3.4 × 2–3 mm, apex obtuse or minutely 5-apiculate, dehiscing freely into 10, 1-seeded segments, segments persistent on plant, false septa nearly complete, proximal margins not ciliate.
2–3 × 0.8–1.3 mm.
1.6–2.5 × 0.7–1.2 mm.
Linum australe
Linum floridanum
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.)
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
Linum floridanum occurs only on the coastal plain. Leaves of the species are firm and opaque, and the veins are not shown in transmitted light. All parts of its flower are yellow except the anthers, which may have wine red coloring; the corolla is nearly rotate, and the styles are spreading.
(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 |
1. Anthers 0.5–1.2 mm; capsules pyriform, 2–3 mm, walls relatively thin, apex obtuse. | var. floridanum |
1. Anthers 1–1.5 mm; capsules ovoid, 2.8–3.4 mm, walls relatively thick textured, apex minutely 5-apiculate. | var. chrysocarpum |
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