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Virginia yellow flax, woodland flax, woodland yellow flax

Sullivan City flax

Habit Herbs, perennial, 15–80 cm, glabrous. Herbs, annual, 10–40 cm, glabrate.
Stems

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

spreading to erect, few-branched.

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.

alternate, spreading;

stipular glands moderately developed at proximal nodes, absent on distal nodes;

blade linear, 5–30 × 0.5–1.5 mm, margins entire, not ciliate, apex acute.

Inflorescences

corymbs.

panicles.

Pedicels

1–10 mm.

5–13 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 deciduous, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, 4–12 mm, margins narrowly scarious, glandular-toothed, apex acute to acuminate;

petals yellow to orange salmon, faintly maroon banded near base, obcordate, 7–12 mm;

stamens 4–5 mm;

anthers 1–1.5 mm;

staminodia absent;

styles connate nearly to apex, 3–4 mm;

stigmas dark, 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, 3.3–4 × 2.6–3.1 mm, apex obtuse, dehiscing into 5, 2-seeded segments, segments persistent on plant, false septa complete, proximal part membranaceous, not terminating in loose fringe, distal part cartilaginous, margins not ciliate.

Seeds

1–1.5 × 0.6–0.9 mm.

2.5–2.7 × 1.1 mm.

2n

= 36.

= 30.

Linum virginianum

Linum lundellii

Phenology Flowering Jun–Oct. Flowering Feb–Apr.
Habitat Open woods, fields, thickets, roadsides. Sandy loam in arroyos, gravelly hillsides, mesquite scrub woodlands.
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
TX; Mexico (Nuevo León, Tamaulipas)
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Linum lundellii occurs in southern Texas and adjacent Tamaulipas (the collection from Nuevo León, Mueller 470, TEX, made at 2400 m, may be misidentified); it can be distinguished from other species by its relatively very short styles. C. M. Rogers (1968) identified a variable population of yellow-flowered plants that he included in L. berlandieri var. filifloium (then treated as L. rigidum var. filifolium). As a result of subsequent study of these plants, he concluded that L. lundellii and L. elongatum should be recognized as separate species. Rogers (1979) compared garden-grown plants of these three taxa and observed that the anthers of L. lundellii are at the same level as the stigmas at anthesis and that pollen had already been deposited on stigmas when the flowers opened, whereas styles of L. berlandieri var. filifolium and L. elongatum are much longer than the stamens and pollen is not shed before anthesis.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 385. FNA vol. 12, p. 390.
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. harperi, L. hudsonioides, L. imbricatum, L. intercursum, L. kingii, L. lewisii, 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
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 279. (1753) C. M. Rogers: Sida 8: 184, fig. 4c. (1979)
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