Linum lewisii

Linum lewisii
In Elena Gallegos Picnic Area, Albuquerque, NM
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Linaceae
Genus: Linum
Species: L. lewisii
Binomial name
Linum lewisii
Pursh
Synonyms[1]
  • Linum decurrens Kellogg
  • Linum lyallanum Alef.

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 (USDA Plant Profile: Linum lewisii). It grows on ridges and dry slopes, from sea level in the north up to 11,000 ft (3,400 m) in the Sierra Nevada.[2]

It is a slender herbaceous plant growing to 80 cm tall, with spirally arranged narrow lanceolate leaves 1–2 cm long. The flowers are pale blue or lavender to white, often veined in darker blue, with five petals 1-1.5 cm long.[2]

Cultivation

Linum lewisii is extremely durable, even aggressive, in favorable conditions, successfully seeding even into established lawns.

Blue flax (Linum lewisii) flower close

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  2. 1 2 Norman F. Weeden (1996). A Sierra Nevada Flora (4th ed.). Wilderness Press.


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