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grooved flax, grooved yellow flax, lin à rameaux sillonnés

New Mexico yellow flax

Habit Herbs, annual, 25–85 cm, glabrous. Herbs, annual, 15–60 cm, glabrous, sometimes glaucous.
Stems

erect to ascending, unbranched proximally, few to many branches above middle, conspicuously sulcate.

erect or shortly decumbent at base, becoming erect, branched from near base.

Leaves

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.

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.

Inflorescences

open panicles;

bracts glandular-toothed, not ciliate.

slender thyrses.

Pedicels

1.3–4.7 mm.

1–4 mm.

Flowers

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.

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.

Capsules

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.

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.

Seeds

1.6–2.1 × 0.8–1.1 mm.

2–2.5 × 1.1–1.3 mm.

2n

= 30.

= 26.

Linum sulcatum

Linum neomexicanum

Phenology Flowering May–Sep. Flowering (Mar–)Jul–Sep(–Nov).
Habitat Sandy, gravelly fields, calcareous ledges and barrens, diabase barrens, cedar glades, prairies, alvars, sometimes in open woods, interdunal flats. Pine and oak woodlands.
Elevation 0–800 m. (0–2600 ft.) (600–)1300–2900 m. ((2000–)4300–9500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
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
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

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.)

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 386. FNA vol. 12, p. 381.
Parent taxa Linaceae > Linum > sect. Linopsis Linaceae > Linum > sect. Linopsis
Sibling taxa
L. alatum, L. allredii, L. arenicola, L. aristatum, L. australe, L. berlandieri, L. bienne, L. carteri, L. catharticum, L. compactum, L. elongatum, L. floridanum, L. grandiflorum, L. harperi, L. hudsonioides, L. imbricatum, L. intercursum, L. kingii, L. lewisii, L. lundellii, L. macrocarpum, L. medium, L. neomexicanum, L. perenne, L. pratense, L. puberulum, L. rigidum, L. rupestre, L. schiedeanum, L. striatum, L. subteres, L. trigynum, L. usitatissimum, L. vernale, L. virginianum, L. westii
L. alatum, L. allredii, L. arenicola, L. aristatum, L. australe, L. berlandieri, L. bienne, L. carteri, L. catharticum, L. compactum, L. elongatum, L. floridanum, L. grandiflorum, L. harperi, L. hudsonioides, L. imbricatum, L. intercursum, L. kingii, L. lewisii, L. lundellii, L. macrocarpum, L. medium, L. perenne, L. pratense, L. puberulum, L. rigidum, L. rupestre, L. schiedeanum, L. striatum, L. subteres, L. sulcatum, L. trigynum, L. usitatissimum, L. vernale, L. virginianum, L. westii
Synonyms Cathartolinum sulcatum
Name authority Riddell: W. J. Med. Phys. Sci., 10. (1836) Greene: Bot. Gaz. 6: 183. (1881) — (as neo-mexicanum)
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