Linum bienne |
Linum puberulum |
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flax, narrow-leaf flax, pale flax |
desert flax, hairy flax, plains flax |
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Habit | Herbs, biennial or short-lived perennial (flowering 1st year), 6–60 cm, glabrous. | Herbs, annual or short-lived perennial, 4–25 cm, densely and finely gray-puberulent throughout. |
Stems | erect, usually branched from near base and in inflorescence. |
ascending, branched at base, herbaceous throughout. |
Leaves | blade linear to linear-lanceolate, 5–25 × 1–1.5 mm. |
alternate or sometimes proximal leaves opposite, appressed-ascending; stipular glands present (conspicuous); blade linear, 7–20 × 0.6–1.5 mm, margins entire or distal leaves sparsely glandular-toothed, ciliate, apex acute; 1-nerved. |
Inflorescences | open panicles. |
open panicles. |
Pedicels | 10–25 mm. |
5–10 mm. |
Flowers | homostylous; sepals ovate, 4–5.5 mm, margins of inner sepals minutely ciliate, outer glabrous, apex acute to acuminate; petals blue, obovate, 6–10 mm; stamens 4–5 mm; anthers 1–2.5 mm; staminodia present or absent; styles distinct, 2 mm; stigmas linear or clavate. |
sepals falling tardily, lanceolate, 4–7 mm, margins of inner sepals scarious, glandular-toothed, apex acute to acuminate, puberulent at least on midrib; outer 3-nerved; petals yellowish orange to salmon, with maroon or reddish base, obcordate or broadly obovate, 9–15 mm; stamens 4–7 mm; anthers 0.6–1.4 mm; staminodia absent; styles connate nearly to apex, 3–7 mm; stigmas dark, capitate. |
Capsules | broadly ovate to subglobose, 4–6 × 4–6 mm, apex very sharp-pointed, segments ± persistent on plant, margins ciliate. |
ovoid-ellipsoid, 3.5–4 × 2.5–5 mm, apex obtuse, dehiscing into 5, 2-seeded segments, segments persistent on plant, false septa complete, proximal margin not terminating in loose fringe, distal part cartilaginous, margins ciliate. |
Seeds | 2.5–3 × 1.5–2 mm. |
1.5–3 × 0.9–1.3 mm. |
2n | = 30. |
= 30. |
Linum bienne |
Linum puberulum |
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Phenology | Flowering Mar–Aug. | Flowering May–Oct. |
Habitat | Grasslands, woodlands, disturbed places. | Dry, open areas, rocky, sandy, limestone, gypsum, or sometimes clay soils. |
Elevation | 0–1900 m. (0–6200 ft.) | 300–2500 m. (1000–8200 ft.) |
Distribution |
CA; OR; PA; BC; Europe; n Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in South America (Argentina, Chile), Pacific Islands (New Zealand)]
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AZ; CA; CO; NE; NM; NV; TX; UT; WY; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora)
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Discussion | Linum bienne is thought to be the progenitor of L. usitatissimum (D. J. Ockendon 1971). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Corollas of Linum puberulum are broadly bowl-shaped. The filaments and styles are pale pink; the stigmas are dark maroon. The pollen is bright yellow; on herbarium specimens, the anthers are golden yellow to orangish yellow, drying darker. In some flowers of L. puberulum, the styles seem to be eccentric. C. M. Rogers (1968) noted that L. puberulum is the only hairy species of Linum in western North America with united styles; its gray indument and complete false septa differentiate it from L. vernale, which is glabrous and has incomplete false septa. Linum puberulum is fairly common in the Rocky Mountain foothills and high plains; it occurs in the mountains in the eastern Mojave Desert. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 374. | FNA vol. 12, p. 388. |
Parent taxa | Linaceae > Linum > sect. Linum | Linaceae > Linum > sect. Linopsis |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | L. angustifolium | L. rigidum var. puberulum |
Name authority | Miller: Gard. Dict. ed. 8, Linum no. 8. (1768) | (Engelmann) A. Heller: Pl. World 1: 22. (1897) |
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