Linum puberulum
Linum allredii
desert flax, hairy flax, plains flax
Allred's flax
ascending, branched at base, herbaceous throughout.
stiffly ascending, suffrutescent from woody branching base.
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.
alternate, tightly appressed or ascending to spreading;
stipular glands present throughout, dark;
blade linear to linear-lanceolate, proximal and midstem leaves 3–10(–12) mm, distal leaves 3–7 × 0.6–1 mm, margins of proximal and midstem leaves entire, distal serrulate, teeth usually gland-tipped, not ciliate, apex of proximal and midstem leaves mucronate, distal acuminate-aristate.
open panicles.
few-flowered panicles;
bracts with irregular scarious margins.
5–10 mm.
2–3 mm, conspicuously articulated.
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.
sepals deciduous, lanceolate, 4.5–7 mm, margins not scarious, glandular-toothed, apex acute-aristate, glabrous; prominently 1-nerved;
petals pumpkin yellow with a wide, pale, red band distal to a deeply wine red band at base, broadly obovate, 10–13 mm;
stamens 5.5–7 mm;
anthers 1.2–1.6 mm;
staminodia absent;
styles connate nearly to apex, 7–9 mm;
stigmas dark, capitate.
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.
ovoid, 3.7–4 × 3 mm, apex obtuse, dehiscing into 5, 2-seeded segments, segments persistent on plant, false septa complete, translucent, proximal part membranaceous, not terminating in loose fringe, distal part cartilaginous, margins ciliate.
1.5–3 × 0.9–1.3 mm.
2.4–2.7 × 0.9–1.1 mm.
= 30.
Linum puberulum
Linum allredii
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.)
Linum allredii is a rare endemic known from seven to 12 occurrences in the Yeso Hills border region of New Mexico and Texas, apparently restricted to gypsum soils. When Sivinski and Howard described this species, they noted that it occurs only on pale, sandy, biologically crusted gypsum distinct from adjacent, darker gypsum. The corollas are deeply bowl-shaped. The filaments and styles are the same pumpkin color as the petals, the stigmas are dark maroon, and the pollen is bright yellow. Linum allredii and L. kingii are the only species in the flora area growing from a woody base.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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