Linum lewisii

Last updated

Linum lewisii
Linum lewisii, blue flax, Albuquerque.JPG
In Elena Gallegos Picnic Area, Albuquerque, NM
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Linaceae
Genus: Linum
Species:
L. lewisii
Binomial name
Linum lewisii
Synonyms [1]
  • Adenolinum lewisiiKellogg
  • Linum decurrensKellogg
  • Linum lyallanumAlef.

Linum lewisii (Linum perenne var. lewisii) (Lewis flax, blue flax or prairie flax) is a perennial plant in the family Linaceae, native to western North America from Alaska south to Baja California, and from the Pacific Coast east to the Mississippi River. [2] It grows on ridges and dry slopes, from sea level in the north up to 11,000 feet (3,400 metres) in the Sierra Nevada. [3] [4] [5]

It is a slender herbaceous plant growing to 80 centimetres (31+12 inches) tall, with spirally arranged narrow lanceolate leaves 1–2 cm (1234 in) long. The flowers are pale blue or lavender to white, often veined in darker blue, with five petals 1–1.5 cm long. [5] [6] [7] [8] The flowers open in the morning and fade, dropping their petals by noon on hot, sunny days. [9]

The plant was named for North American explorer Meriwether Lewis. [10]

Cultivation

Blue flax is a durable wildflower in garden conditions, never becoming overly aggressive towards other plants. Plants are easily grown from seed. [9] Blue flax grows well in lean soils without much organic matter and are healthier in well drained soils. [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Linum</i> Genus of flowering plants

Linum (flax) is a genus of approximately 200 species in the flowering plant family Linaceae. They are native to temperate and subtropical regions of the world. The genus includes the common flax, the bast fibre of which is used to produce linen and the seeds to produce linseed oil.

<i>Linum bienne</i> Species of flowering plant

Linum bienne, the pale or narrowleaf flax, is a flowering plant in the genus Linum, native to the Mediterranean region and western Europe, north to England and Ireland.

<i>Philadelphus lewisii</i> Species of flowering plant

Philadelphus lewisii, the Lewis' mock-orange, mock-orange, Gordon's mockorange, wild mockorange,Indian arrowwood, or syringa, is a deciduous shrub native to western North America, and is the state flower of Idaho.

<i>Dendromecon rigida</i> Species of tree

Dendromecon rigida, also called bush poppy or tree poppy, is a shrub or small tree of the Papaveraceae native to California and Baja California.

<i>Phacelia fremontii</i> Species of plant

Phacelia fremontii is a flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae native to the southwestern United States. In California, its range includes the Mojave Desert, the San Joaquin Valley, the Coast Ranges, and the Sierra Nevada. It was named for John C. Frémont.

<i>Linum perenne</i> Species of flowering plant

Linum perenne, the perennial flax, blue flax or lint, is a flowering plant in the family Linaceae, native to Europe, primarily in the Alps and locally in England. It has been introduced into North America, where it can be found on mountain ridges, wooded areas, and in sandy plain habitats of the sagebrush steppe, growing near sagebrush and rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus).

<i>Coreopsis bigelovii</i> Species of flowering plant

Coreopsis bigelovii is a species of flowering plant in the daisy or sunflower family, Asteraceae, with the common names Bigelow coreopsis and Bigelow's tickseed. It is endemic to California.

<i>Chorispora tenella</i> Species of flowering plant

Chorispora tenella is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by several common names, including purple mustard, blue mustard, musk mustard, and crossflower. This mustard is native to parts of Eurasia but is well known in other parts of the world, particularly in temperate regions, as an introduced species and a noxious weed.

<i>Collinsia parviflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Collinsia parviflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae known by the common names maiden blue eyed Mary and small-flowered collinsia.

<i>Erythranthe lewisii</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythranthe lewisii is a perennial plant in the family Phrymaceae. It is named in honor of explorer Meriwether Lewis. Together with other species in Erythranthe, it serves as a model system for studying pollinator-based reproductive isolation. It was formerly known as Mimulus lewisii.

<i>Sambucus racemosa</i> Species of plant

Sambucus racemosa is a species of elderberry known by the common names red elderberry and red-berried elder.

<i>Balsamorhiza sagittata</i> Species of flowering plant

Balsamorhiza sagittata is a North American species of flowering plant in the tribe Heliantheae of the family Asteraceae known by the common name Arrowleaf Balsamroot. It is widespread across western Canada and much of the western United States.

<i>Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus</i> Species of flowering plant

Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus is a species of shrub in the family Asteraceae of the Americas known by the common names yellow rabbitbrush and green rabbitbrush.

<i>Clarkia biloba</i> Species of flowering plant

Clarkia biloba is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name twolobe clarkia and two lobed clarkia.

Clarkia rostrata is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name beaked clarkia.

<i>Penstemon speciosus</i> Species of flowering plant

Penstemon speciosus is a species of penstemon known by the common name royal penstemon of western North America.

<i>Thelypodium laciniatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Thelypodium laciniatum is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name cutleaf thelypody. It is native to western North America, particularly the Great Basin and surrounding plateau and foothill habitat, where it grows on dry rocky cliffs and hillsides in sagebrush and scrub, usually below 2,400 metres (8,000 ft) elevation.

Calochortus westonii, common name Shirley Meadow star-tulip, is a rare endemic plant known only from the Greenhorn Mountains range of the southern Sierra Nevada, within Kern and Tulare Counties, California.

<i>Linum pratense</i> Species of flowering plant

Linum pratense, commonly called meadow flax, is a species of flowering plant in the flax family (Linaceae). It is native to the United States, where it is found in the south-central and southwestern regions of the country. Its natural habitat is in dry, open prairies over calcareous or sandy soil. It can be found in both intact and disturbed communities.

References

  1. "Linum lewisii Pursh". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  2. USDA Plant Profile: Linum lewisii
  3. Sullivan, Steven. K. (2015). "Linum lewisii". Wildflower Search. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  4. "Linum lewisii". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture; Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2015. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  5. 1 2 Norman F. Weeden (1996). A Sierra Nevada Flora (4th ed.). Wilderness Press. ISBN   9780899972046.
  6. 1 2 Klinkenberg, Brian, ed. (2014). "Linum lewisii". E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  7. 1 2 3 Giblin, David, ed. (2015). "Linum lewisii". WTU Herbarium Image Collection. Burke Museum, University of Washington. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  8. "Linum lewisii". Jepson eFlora: Taxon page. Jepson Herbarium; University of California, Berkeley. 2015. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  9. 1 2 Barr, Claude A. (1983). Jewels of the plains : wild flowers of the Great Plains grasslands and hills. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. p. 18. ISBN   0-8166-1127-0.
  10. Reiner, Ralph E. (1969). Introducing the Flowering Beauty of Glacier National Park and the Majestic High Rockies. Glacier Park, Inc. p. 98.
  11. "Blue flax". Fine Gardening. The Taunton Press, Inc. Retrieved 30 May 2023.