Linum puberulum
Linum subteres
desert flax, hairy flax, plains flax
slenderfoot flax, sprucemont flax, Utah yellow flax
ascending, branched at base, herbaceous throughout.
stiffly spreading-ascending, branched at base and distal to middle.
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 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.
open panicles.
few-flowered racemes.
5–10 mm.
(5–)20–30(–60) 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, 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.
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 (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.
1.5–3 × 0.9–1.3 mm.
2.5–3 × 0.9–1.2 mm.
= 30.
= 30.
Linum puberulum
Linum subteres
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 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.)
CA
SW CO Wildflowers
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
