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Bicknell's yellow flax, sandplain flax, sandplain yellow flax

slenderfoot flax, sprucemont flax, Utah yellow flax

Habit Herbs or subshrubs, perennial, 20–92 cm, glabrous. Herbs, annual or perennial, 15–50 cm, glabrous and glaucous.
Stems

erect, unbranched proximal to inflorescence or few-branched at base.

stiffly spreading-ascending, branched at base and distal to middle.

Leaves

proximalmost opposite, distalmost alternate, sometimes opposite nearly to inflorescence, erect to ascending;

stipular glands absent;

blade narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, 8–27 × 1.2–5.6 mm, margins entire, not ciliate, apex acute;

internal venation shown by transmitted light.

alternate or proximalmost opposite, crowded at base, appressed-ascending;

stipular glands absent;

blade oblanceolate to lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 8–17 × 1.2–2.3 mm, margins entire, not ciliate, apex apiculate.

Inflorescences

panicles.

few-flowered racemes.

Pedicels

0–5 mm.

(5–)20–30(–60) mm.

Flowers

sepals persistent, lanceolate, 2–3 mm, margins not scarious, entire, or inner and rarely outer sparsely glandular-toothed, apex sharp-pointed;

petals yellow, obovate, 4–7 mm;

stamens 3 mm;

anthers 0.5–1 mm;

staminodia absent;

styles distinct, 1.5–2.5 mm;

stigmas capitate.

sepals persistent, lanceolate to lance-ovate, 4.5–7 mm, margins narrowly scarious, inner sepals conspicuously toothed, outer ones very coarsely glandular-toothed, sometimes sparsely so, apex acuminate or narrowly acute;

petals lemon yellow, obovate, 9–15 mm;

stamens 5–7 mm;

anthers 1–2 mm;

staminodia absent;

styles connate to within 0.8–3 mm of apex, 5.7–9 mm;

stigmas capitate.

Capsules

turbinate, 2–3 × 2–2.3 mm, apex acute or obtuse, dehiscing freely into 10, sharp-pointed 1-seeded segments, segments persistent on plant, false septa incomplete, proximal margins sparsely but conspicuously ciliate.

ovoid (distinctly longer than broad), 3.5–4.6 × 2.5–3.1 mm, apex sharp-pointed, dehiscing completely into 5, 2-seeded segments (very easily crushed), segments persistent on plant, false septa incomplete, proximal margins terminating in loose fringe, cartilaginous plates at base of segments poorly developed.

Seeds

1.3–1.8 × 0.6–0.9 mm.

2.5–3 × 0.9–1.2 mm.

2n

= 36.

= 30.

Linum intercursum

Linum subteres

Phenology Flowering Jun–Oct. Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat sometimes in alternately wet and dry, hardpan soils. Sandy soils, clay, sagebrush and pinyon-juniper zones.
Elevation 0–800 m. (0–2600 ft.) 1300–2200 m. (4300–7200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; CT; DC; DE; GA; IN; MA; MD; NC; NJ; NY; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA
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from FNA
AZ; NM; NV; UT
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Linum intercursum is sometimes confused with L. floridanum, from which it differs by its pointed capsule and broader leaves. All parts of the flower of L. intercursum are yellow, and the corolla is nearly rotate.

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

Linum subteres is most closely related to L. vernale; it has lemon yellow petals, rather than orange to salmon-colored with a maroon base, and relatively thick, crowded, broad basal leaves (C. M. Rogers 1984). Leaves on the proximal half of each stem are closely spaced and imbricate; distal branches and inflorescence are widely spaced and subtended by closely appressed, relatively long, narrow leaves or bracts, giving the upper part of the plant a leafless look.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 382. FNA vol. 12, p. 387.
Parent taxa Linaceae > Linum > sect. Linopsis Linaceae > Linum > sect. Linopsis
Sibling taxa
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. 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. perenne, L. pratense, L. puberulum, L. rigidum, L. rupestre, L. schiedeanum, L. striatum, L. sulcatum, L. trigynum, L. usitatissimum, L. vernale, L. virginianum, L. westii
Synonyms Cathartolinum intercursum L. aristatum var. subteres, L. leptopoda
Name authority E. P. Bicknell: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 39: 418. (1912) (Trelease) H. J. P. Winkler: in H. G. A. Engler et al., Nat. Pflanzenfam. ed. 2, 19a: 116. (1931)
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