Linum subteres |
Linum sulcatum |
|
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slenderfoot flax, sprucemont flax, Utah yellow flax |
grooved flax, grooved yellow flax, lin à rameaux sillonnés |
|
Habit | Herbs, annual or perennial, 15–50 cm, glabrous and glaucous. | Herbs, annual, 25–85 cm, glabrous. |
Stems | stiffly spreading-ascending, branched at base and distal to middle. |
erect to ascending, unbranched proximally, few to many branches above middle, conspicuously sulcate. |
Leaves | 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. |
proximal 0–13 pairs opposite (often fallen at anthesis), distal alternate, appressed-ascending; stipular glands usually present, very rarely absent; blade linear to narrowly lanceolate, 7–30 × 1–3 mm, margins entire, distal leaves not ciliate, apex acute to subulate; midrib prominent, marginal nerves less conspicuous. |
Inflorescences | few-flowered racemes. |
open panicles; bracts glandular-toothed, not ciliate. |
Pedicels | (5–)20–30(–60) mm. |
1.3–4.7 mm. |
Flowers | 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. |
sepals persistent, lanceolate, (3.1–)3.6–5(–7.3) mm, inner sepals more delicate than outer, shorter, margins not scarious, all very conspicuously glandular-toothed, apex acuminate, central and marginal veins conspicuous; petals pale yellow, obovate, 5–10 mm; stamens 3.3–5.7 mm; anthers 0.3–0.7 mm; staminodia absent; styles connate 0.2–1.8 mm at base, 2–4.5 mm; stigmas capitate. |
Capsules | 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. |
globose, 2.5–3.3 × 2.1–3 mm, apex rounded to acute, dehiscing freely into 10, sharp-pointed, 1-seeded segments; segments persistent on plant, false septa incomplete, margins prominently ciliate. |
Seeds | 2.5–3 × 0.9–1.2 mm. |
1.6–2.1 × 0.8–1.1 mm. |
2n | = 30. |
= 30. |
Linum subteres |
Linum sulcatum |
|
Phenology | Flowering May–Aug. | Flowering May–Sep. |
Habitat | Sandy soils, clay, sagebrush and pinyon-juniper zones. | Sandy, gravelly fields, calcareous ledges and barrens, diabase barrens, cedar glades, prairies, alvars, sometimes in open woods, interdunal flats. |
Elevation | 1300–2200 m. (4300–7200 ft.) | 0–800 m. (0–2600 ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; NM; NV; UT
|
AL; AR; CT; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; MB; ON; QC
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Discussion | 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.) |
Linum sulcatum and L. harperi are the only species of the genus in eastern North America with styles united from the base to the middle and all five sepals persistent and with glandular-toothed margins. In L. sulcatum, all parts of the flower are yellow and the corolla is funnelform. Dried plants of L. sulcatum are pale green. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 387. | FNA vol. 12, p. 386. |
Parent taxa | Linaceae > Linum > sect. Linopsis | Linaceae > Linum > sect. Linopsis |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | L. aristatum var. subteres, L. leptopoda | Cathartolinum sulcatum |
Name authority | (Trelease) H. J. P. Winkler: in H. G. A. Engler et al., Nat. Pflanzenfam. ed. 2, 19a: 116. (1931) | Riddell: W. J. Med. Phys. Sci., 10. (1836) |
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