Vor. II.] FLAX FAMILY. 349 
2. Linum Lewisii Pursh. Lewis’ Wild Flax. (Fig. 2259.) 
Linum Lewisti Pursh, Fl. Am. Sept. 210. 1814. 
Linum perenne var. Lewtsti Eat. & Wright, N. A. Bot. VEN ) iy 
go2. 1840. AQ\ (Ss \ W \v , 
Perennial from a woody root, 1°-2° high, gla- SA US f (uy ) am 
brous, glaucous, densely tufted, simple up to the M@ >A } We EE 
cymose inflorescence. Leaves crowded, oblong or ‘| Lp N= | 
linear, 3/’-20’ long, %4’’-2/’ wide, acute or acutish, \ j WA \) lyf 
3-5-nerved; flowers blue, 1/-114’ broad; sepals \ A \ Li 
oval, mainly obtuse, one-third or one-fourth the \ / y y 
length of the petals; stigmas shorter than the styles; . \ ) ( if 
capsule broadly ovoid, 2-3-times as long as the \ [FF 4 
calyx, obtuse, incompletely 1o-celled, dehiscent, \ yy \ Vy 
the septa ciliate. \) YY \) 
Prairies, Manitoba to Texas, west to Arizona, Utah \ \W 
and Alaska. Summer. { 
The European L. perenne L., otherwise nearly iden- { U \ y 
tical with this species, differs in having heterogonous NY \ 
flowers. fee \ 
3. Linum Virginianum 1. Wild or Slender Yellow Flax. (Fig. 2260.) 
i » A Linum Virginianum I,. Sp. Pl. 279. 1753. 
r pee ) Perennial by suckers, erect or ascending, 
ay) “SP Vy glabrous, rather dark green, simple below, 
/ ; ye? : : 
\ AQ Y mo Wh corymbose-paniculate above, 1°-2° high. 
q \ Pa\y ty eo OLY Y Stem and branches terete, slender, not stiff, 
| » \\ ( 0 Vale §2, striate, or slightly angled above; flowering 
\ \ \ y . q y, branches ascending, or sometimes weak 
Y \ \} Y/ W and recurved; fruiting branches ascending, 
| | Y \| Lp or somewhat spreading; leaves thin, ob- 
\V — long, or oblanceolate, spreading or ascend- 
ing, I-nerved, 6/’-13/’ long, 2//-3/’ wide, 
acute, or the lower opposite and spatulate, 
obtuse; pedicels filiform, the lower 2//-6/” 
long, longer than the calyx; flowers yellow, 
3/’-4’’ broad; sepals ovate, acute, not cili- 
ate, about equalling the depressed-globose 
1o-celled capsule, which is about 1/’ high. 
In shaded situations, New England to 
Georgia. June-Aug. 
4. Linum médium (Planch. ) Britton. 
Stiff Yellow Flax. (Fig. 2261.) - 
Linum Virginianum var. medium Planch. Lond. 
Bot. 7: 480. 1848. 
Perennial by suckers, glabrous; stems erect, 
striate, stiff, not angled, corymbosely branched 
above, the branches erect-ascending both in flower 
and in fruit; leaves firm, appressed-ascending, 
the lowest commonly spatulate and opposite, the 
others lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, acute, 4//— 
12’” long, 14//-2’’ wide; pedicels 14’/-3’’ long, the 
lower rarely longer than the calyx; sepals ovate, 
or ovate-lanceolate, acute, about equalling the de- 
pressed-globose capsule, which is about 1’ high. 
In dry soil, Ontarioto Floridaand Texas. June-Aug. 
