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southern flax

blue flax, blue garden flax, perennial blue flax, perennial flax, western blue flax

Habit Herbs, annual, 10–50 cm, puberulent near base, otherwise glabrous. Herbs, perennial, 20–100 cm, glabrous.
Stems

stiffly ascending-spreading, few to many-branched.

ascending or erect, usually unbranched.

Leaves

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.

blade linear or linear-lanceolate, 5–20 × 1–3 mm.

Inflorescences

racemes.

much-branched panicles.

Pedicels

3–15 mm.

spreading, 5–25 mm.

Flowers

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.

heterostylous;

inner sepals ovate-lanceolate or ovate, 4.5–5.5 mm, margins glabrous, apex obtuse, outer ones lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 3.5–4.5 mm, narrower than inner ones, margins glabrous, apex acute or acuminate;

petals blue, obovate or obovate-lanceolate, 10–25 mm;

stamens 5 mm, anthers 2 mm (long-styled morph) or stamens 6.5 mm, anthers 1.8 mm (short-styled morph);

styles distinct, 8 mm (long-styled morph) or 2.5 mm (short-styled morph);

stigmas capitate.

Capsules

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.

subglobose, 5–7 mm diam., apex acute to obtuse, segments persistent on plant, margins ciliate or not.

Seeds

2–3 × 0.8–1.3 mm.

3–4.2 × 1.7–2 mm.

2n

= 18.

Linum australe

Linum perenne

Phenology Flowering Mar–Aug.
Habitat Disturbed areas.
Elevation 100–1000 m. (300–3300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; MT; NM; NV; TX; UT; WY; AB; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; IA; ID; IL; ME; MI; MT; NE; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; UT; VA; WI; WV; BC; ON; YT; Eurasia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico (Sonora)]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Most collections in North America identified as Linum perenne are most likely L. lewisii var. lewisii (D. J. Ockendon 1971; C. M. Rogers 1984). According to Ockendon, L. perenne is often confused with L. austriacum Linnaeus in Europe; its exact native distribution is not known.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
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
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 390. FNA vol. 12, p. 376.
Parent taxa Linaceae > Linum > sect. Linopsis Linaceae > Linum > sect. Linum
Sibling taxa
L. alatum, L. allredii, L. arenicola, L. aristatum, L. berlandieri, L. bienne, L. carteri, L. catharticum, L. compactum, L. elongatum, L. floridanum, L. grandiflorum, L. harperi, L. hudsonioides, L. imbricatum, L. intercursum, L. kingii, L. lewisii, L. lundellii, L. macrocarpum, L. medium, L. neomexicanum, L. perenne, L. pratense, L. puberulum, L. rigidum, L. rupestre, L. schiedeanum, L. striatum, L. subteres, L. sulcatum, L. trigynum, L. usitatissimum, L. vernale, L. virginianum, L. westii
L. alatum, L. allredii, L. arenicola, L. aristatum, L. australe, L. berlandieri, L. bienne, L. carteri, L. catharticum, L. compactum, L. elongatum, L. floridanum, L. grandiflorum, L. harperi, L. hudsonioides, L. imbricatum, L. intercursum, L. kingii, L. lewisii, L. lundellii, L. macrocarpum, L. medium, L. neomexicanum, L. pratense, L. puberulum, L. rigidum, L. rupestre, L. schiedeanum, L. striatum, L. subteres, L. sulcatum, L. trigynum, L. usitatissimum, L. vernale, L. virginianum, L. westii
Subordinate taxa
L. australe var. australe, L. australe var. glandulosum
Name authority A. Heller: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 25: 627. (1898) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 277. (1753)
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