Linum puberulum
Linum catharticum
desert flax, hairy flax, plains flax
fairy flax, lin purgatif, purging flax, white flax
ascending, branched at base, herbaceous throughout.
erect, usually unbranched proximal to inflorescence, sometimes branched from decumbent 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.
blade narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate or narrowly obovate or oblong, larger 5–18 × 1.4–3.1 mm, largest at midstem, reduced in size both proximally and distally, apex obtuse to acute.
open panicles.
panicles.
5–10 mm.
6–35 mm.
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 broadly lanceolate to ovate, outer sepals 2–3 mm, inner sepals broader, shorter, margins of all or sometimes only of inner sparsely but conspicuously glandular-toothed, apex acute to acuminate;
petals white or whitish, base yellowish, 2–5 mm, obovate;
stamens 1 mm, anthers 0.2–0.3 mm;
styles 0.5–1 mm.
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, 2–2.5 × 2 mm, fragile and subject to crushing when pressed;
segments persistent on plant, septa margins ciliate.
1.5–3 × 0.9–1.3 mm.
1–1.5 × 0.6–0.8 mm.
= 30.
= 16.
Linum puberulum
Linum catharticum
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 catharticum has small, white, funnelform corollas, yellow anthers, and light green stigmas. It is the only Linum in the flora area with white petals and opposite leaves. The species is widespread in Europe and occurs only sporadically in the northern United States and most of its range in Canada. It may be native in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, where it is well established.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
SW CO Wildflowers
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
BC
Go Botany
MI Flora
PNW Herbaria
