Linum puberulum
Linum neomexicanum
desert flax, hairy flax, plains flax
New Mexico yellow flax
ascending, branched at base, herbaceous throughout.
erect or shortly decumbent at base, becoming erect, branched from near 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.
usually only proximalmost opposite, sometimes to midstem, distal alternate, erect to ± spreading;
stipular glands absent;
blade of proximal leaves narrowly to broadly elliptic-oblanceolate, 10–15 × 1.5–2.5 mm, margins entire, not ciliate, apex subacute to acuminate; 1-nerved.
open panicles.
slender thyrses.
5–10 mm.
1–4 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, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, 3–5.3 mm, margins not scarious, inner ones conspicuously glandular-toothed, outer entire or very sparsely glandular-toothed, apex acute to acuminate;
petals yellow, oblanceolate, 4–7 mm;
stamens 3–5 mm;
anthers 1–1.5 mm;
staminodia absent;
styles distinct, 1.5–3 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.
triangular-ovoid to broadly ovoid, 2.5–3.5 × 2.7–3.5 mm, apex obtuse, somewhat tardily dehiscing into 10, 1-seeded segments, segments persistent on plant, false septa incomplete, proximal margins ciliate.
1.5–3 × 0.9–1.3 mm.
2–2.5 × 1.1–1.3 mm.
= 30.
= 26.
Linum puberulum
Linum neomexicanum
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.)
Within its range, Linum neomexicanum is the only species of Linum with yellow flowers and distinct styles. Its inflorescence is more slender than other species. The corollas are nearly rotate and the styles may be at nearly right angles to the flower axis, to spreading, or to ultimately ascending. J. R. McDill (2009) found that L. neomexicanum is most closely related to L. kingii.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
SW CO Wildflowers
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
