Linum puberulum
Linum floridanum
desert flax, hairy flax, plains flax
Florida yellow flax
ascending, branched at base, herbaceous throughout.
erect, usually unbranched, sometimes branched from 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.
proximal usually opposite, distal alternate, rarely all alternate, appressed-ascending;
stipular glands absent;
blade linear-oblanceolate or oblanceolate, 10–20 × 1–3.2 mm, margins entire, not ciliate, apex sharply acute.
open panicles.
corymbs.
5–10 mm.
0.5–3.5 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 persistent, narrowly lanceolate, outer sepals 2.5–4.5 mm, inner somewhat shorter, broader than outer, margins not scarious, inner conspicuously glandular-toothed, outer entire, apex acute;
petals lemon yellow, obovate, 5.5–9.5 mm;
stamens 2 mm;
anthers 0.5–1.5 mm;
staminodia absent;
styles distinct, 2–4.5 mm;
stigmas 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.
pyriform or ovoid, 2–3.4 × 2–3 mm, apex obtuse or minutely 5-apiculate, dehiscing freely into 10, 1-seeded segments, segments persistent on plant, false septa nearly complete, proximal margins not ciliate.
1.5–3 × 0.9–1.3 mm.
1.6–2.5 × 0.7–1.2 mm.
= 30.
Linum puberulum
Linum floridanum
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.)
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
Linum floridanum occurs only on the coastal plain. Leaves of the species are firm and opaque, and the veins are not shown in transmitted light. All parts of its flower are yellow except the anthers, which may have wine red coloring; the corolla is nearly rotate, and the styles are spreading.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Anthers 0.5–1.2 mm; capsules pyriform, 2–3 mm, walls relatively thin, apex obtuse. | var. floridanum |
1. Anthers 1–1.5 mm; capsules ovoid, 2.8–3.4 mm, walls relatively thick textured, apex minutely 5-apiculate. | var. chrysocarpum |
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