E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Linum usitatissimum L.
common flax
Linaceae (Flax family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Linum usitatissimum
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Annual herb from a taproot; stems erect, solitary, simple or branched, 30-50 cm tall.

Leaves:
Stem leaves alternate, linear-lanceolate, 3-veined at least 1/2 their length, 1-2.5 cm long.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of saucer-shaped flowers in a terminal loose cluster on stalks 20-25 mm long; petals pale blue, rarely white, 10-14 mm long; sepals tapering to a narrow tip, 5-7 mm long, the innermost wider and minutely hairy on the margins.

Fruits:
Capsules, 10-14 mm long; seeds 3.5-4.5 mm long with a short, blunt beak.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Key to the Species and Taxonomic Notes

1. Plants perennials; sepals rounded at the tips, not fringed; leaves linear, 3-veined only at the bases...........................L. lewisiissp. lewisii

1. Plants annuals, biennials or perennials; sepals tapered to narrow points, inner ones usually fringed; leaves linear-lanceolate, 3 veined at least 1/2 their length.

2. Plants annuals; flower stalks 20-25 mm long; petals 10-14 mm long; capsules 10-14 mm long, or more; seeds with a short, blunt beak..........................L. usitatissimum

2. Plants biennials, or perennials; flowers stalks 5-18 mm long; petals 8-10 mm long; capsules 5-6 mm long; seeds beakless.............................L. bienne

Source: Illustrated Flora of BC

Habitat / Range

Mesic to dry roadsides, fields and waste places in the lowland zone; rare on SE Vancouver Island, the Queen Charlotte Islands, and the lower mainland; introduced from Eurasia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Exotic	SNA	Exotic	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Linum humile Mill.
Linum usitatissimum var. humile (Mill.) Pers.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

UBC Herbarium Scanned Collection Record
Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. 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. [Accessed: 2024-05-16 9:16:18 PM ]

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