Linum usitatissimum
Linum westii
common flax, cultivated flax, flax-seed, lin cultivé, lin-seed
West's flax
erect, unbranched or few-branched at base (all flowering).
erect, unbranched proximal to inflorescence.
divergent;
blade linear to linear-lanceolate, 10–40 × 1.5–5 mm.
mostly opposite, appressed-erect;
stipular glands absent;
blade elliptic to oblanceolate, cauline leaves 13–17 × 3–4 mm, margins entire, apex obtuse to acute.
open panicles.
of few, few-flowered panicles, branches spreading-ascending, occupying to 1/4 or less of total height.
erect in fruit, to 20–25 mm.
0.5–2.9 mm, stout.
homostylous;
sepals ovate, 6–9 mm, margins of inner sepals minutely ciliate, outer ciliate, apex acuminate;
petals usually blue, rarely white, obovate, 10–15 mm;
stamens 5–7 mm;
anthers 1–1.5 mm;
staminodia present;
styles distinct or connate at base, 3–6 mm;
stigmas linear or clavate.
sepals persistent, inner ones broadly obovate, outer ovate, 3.1–3.6 mm, margins not scarious, inner glandular-toothed, outer entire, apex acute to acuminate;
petals pale to bright yellow, ovate, 6–7 mm;
stamen length unknown;
anther length unknown;
staminodia absent;
styles distinct, 2–3.1 mm;
stigmas capitate.
ovoid to subglobose, 6–10 × 5–10 mm, apex rounded, dehiscing incompletely, segments falling freely, margins ciliate or not.
subglobose, 2.6–3 × 2.8–3 mm, apex abruptly short-pointed, dehiscing into 10, 1-seeded segments, segments falling freely, false septa nearly complete, ± spongy, proximal margins not ciliate.
4–6 × 2.5–3 mm.
not seen.
= 30.
= 36.
Linum usitatissimum
Linum westii
Linum usitatissimum has been cultivated since antiquity, and it is this cultivated form that has naturalized in the wild. Flax fibers twisted to make rope or dyed for fabric dated 32,000–26,000 years before present were found in a cave in Dzudzuana, Georgia (E. Kvavadze et al. 2009). Stem fibers of L. usitatissimum are used to make linen; the seeds are pressed to produce linseed oil; the rest of the seeds are compacted into cakes and used as fodder. Linum usitatissimum is the only species in the flora area except L. bienne that has linear stigmas and minutely ciliate inner sepals. It can be distinguished from L. bienne by its larger, apically rounded capsules.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
The broad, many-toothed inner sepals and subglobose, sharply pointed capsules set Linum westii apart from other species (C. M. Rogers 1984). In addition, its seeds are lunate, compared with narrowly elliptic seeds of L. floridanum and L. macrocarpum. Linum westii is known only from about 16 occurrences, all from the Florida panhandle and northeastern Florida (Clay, Franklin, Gulf, Jackson, Liberty, and Okaloosa counties, and possibly Bay County), with historical records from Baker and Calhoun counties. R. Kral (1973) considered a Chapman collection from Georgia to have been mislabelled. There are no vouchers for reports of L. westii from Mississippi.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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