. II.] FLAX FAMILY. 



2. Linum Lewisii Pursh. Lewis' Wild Flax. (Fig. 2259.) 



Linum Leiuisii Pursh, Fl. Am. Sept. 210. 1814. 

 Linum perenne var. Lewisii Eat. & Wright, N. A. Bot. 

 302. 1840. 



Perennial from a woody root, i-2 high, gla- 

 brous, glaucous, densely tufted, simple up to the 

 cymose inflorescence. Leaves crowded, oblong or 

 linear, 3 // -2o // long, y^."- 1 *" wide, acute or acutish, 

 3~5-nerved; flowers blue, I'-i^' broad; sepals 

 oval, mainly obtuse, one-third or one-fourth the 

 length of the petals; stigmas shorter than the styles; 

 capsule broadly ovoid, 2-3-times as long as the 

 calyx, obtuse, incompletely lo-celled, dehiscent, 

 the septa ciliate. 



Prairies, Manitoba to Texas, west to Arizona, Utah 

 and Alaska. Summer. 



The European L. perenne L., otherwise nearly iden- 

 tical with this species, differs in having heterogonous 

 flowers. 



349 



3. Linum Virginianum 



Wild or Slender Yellow Flax. (Fig. 2260.) 



Linum Virginianum L. Sp. PI. 279. 1753. 

 Perennial by suckers, erect or ascending, 

 glabrous, rather dark green, simple below, 

 corymbose-paniculate above, i-2 high. 

 Stem and branches terete, slender, not stiff, 

 striate, or slightly angled above; flowering 

 branches ascending, or sometimes weak 

 and recurved; fruiting branches ascending, 

 or somewhat spreading; leaves thin, ob- 

 long, or oblanceolate, spreading or ascend- 

 ing, i- nerved, 6 // -i3 // 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 

 lo-celled capsule, which is about \" high. 



In shaded situations. New England to 

 Georgia. June-Aug. 



4. Linum medium (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, y 2 "-2" wide; pedicels %"-$" long, the 

 lower rarely longer than the calyx; sepals ovate, 

 or ovate-lanceolate, acute, about equalling the de- 

 pressed-globose capsule, which is about \" high. 



In dry soil, Ontario to Florida and Texas. June-Aug. 



