The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Virginia yellow flax, woodland flax, woodland yellow flax

Harper's flax

Habit Herbs, perennial, 15–80 cm, glabrous. Herbs, annual, 25–85 cm, glabrous.
Stems

erect, branches 1–several from base, unbranched proximal to inflorescence.

erect to ascending, unbranched proximally, few to many branched distal to middle.

Leaves

proximal 4–10 pairs opposite, distal alternate, erect to spreading;

stipular glands absent;

blade of proximal leaves spatulate, central and distal elliptic, oblanceolate, or obovate, 15–25 × 3–7 mm, margins entire, not ciliate, apex acute to apiculate.

proximal 0–13 pairs opposite (often fallen at anthesis), distal alternate, appressed-ascending;

stipular glands usually present, very rarely absent;

blade of proximal leaves oblanceolate or spatulate, of distal ones linear, 7–30 × 1–3 mm, margins entire, not ciliate, apex acute to subulate;

midrib prominent, marginal nerves less conspicuous.

Inflorescences

corymbs.

racemelike;

bracts glandular-toothed, not ciliate.

Pedicels

1–10 mm.

1.3–4.7 mm.

Flowers

sepals persistent, lanceolate-ovate, inner shorter, broader, thinner than outer, outer sepals 2–4 mm, margins not scarious, inner sepals usually with a few small, sessile glands along margin distal to middle, rarely eglandular, outer ones entire, apex acute to acuminate;

petals yellow, obovate (sometimes notched at apex), 3–5.5 mm;

stamens 1.2–3 mm;

anthers 0.5–1 mm;

staminodia absent;

styles distinct, 1–2 mm;

stigmas capitate.

sepals persistent, outer sepals oblong, 2.3–3.7 mm, margins not scarious, all very coarsely, irregularly glandular-toothed (inner sepals more closely and finely toothed than outer), apex acute;

petals pale yellow, obovate, 5–10 mm;

stamen length unknown;

anthers 0.3–0.7 mm;

staminodia absent;

styles connate 0.2–1.8 mm at base, 2–4.5 mm;

stigmas capitate.

Capsules

globose, carpels flattened or ± concave abaxially, 1.3–1.8 × 2–2.5 mm, apex depressed, dehiscing freely into 10, 1-seeded segments, segments falling freely, false septa nearly complete, proximal margins usually sparsely and inconspicuously few-ciliate.

ovoid, 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

1–1.5 × 0.6–0.9 mm.

1.6–2.1 × 0.8–1.1 mm.

2n

= 36.

= 30.

Linum virginianum

Linum harperi

Phenology Flowering Jun–Oct. Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Open woods, fields, thickets, roadsides. Dry pine barrens, clearings in pine flatwoods, calcareous soils or limestone outcrops.
Elevation 0–800 m. (0–2600 ft.) 0–100 m. (0–300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; MI; MO; NC; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; WV; ON
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA
Discussion

Linum virginianum lacks prominent marginal teeth on the inner sepals, thus distinguishing it from L. striatum. It has a less elongate inflorescence and lacks the ribbed branchlets found in L. striatum (C. M. Rogers 1984). The corollas of L. virginianum are nearly rotate; all parts of the flower are yellow except the brownish anthers. Its capsules shatter readily and often are absent on herbarium sheets.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Dried plants of Linum harperi are dark purple-dotted distally. The species occurs in the center of the Florida panhandle, southwestern Georgia, and central Alabama.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 385. FNA vol. 12, p. 386.
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. sulcatum, L. trigynum, L. usitatissimum, L. vernale, 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. 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. sulcatum, L. trigynum, L. usitatissimum, L. vernale, L. virginianum, L. westii
Synonyms Cathartolinum virginianum Cathartolinum harperi, L. sulcatum var. harperi
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 279. (1753) Small: Fl. S.E. U.S. 663, 1332. (1903)
Web links