68 NORTH AMERICAN FLORA [Volume 25 



1. Linum usitatissimum L. Sp. PI. 277. 1753. 



Plants annual, 2-8 dm. tall, the stems striate and somewhat angled above, simple or 

 branched ; leaves erect or ascending, the blades linear to narrowly linear-lanceolate, 1-3 

 cm. long, acute or somewhat acuminate, 3-nerved, sessile; bracts similar to the leaves but 

 smaller ; pedicels 2-2.5 cm. long at maturity ; sepals acuminate, the outer elliptic to elliptic- 

 lanceolate, eciliate, the inner elliptic-ovate to ovate, 7-9 mm. long at maturity, longer than 

 the outer ones, ciliate, all 3-nerved at the base; petals blue, 1 cm. to almost 1.5cm. long; 

 styles distinct or nearly so ; capsules 6-S mm. wide, slightly surpassing the sepals, the 

 septa not ciliate ; seeds barely 4 mm. long. 



Type locality: Southern Europe. 



Distribution : Throughout cultivated North America, and widely distributed in other parts 

 of the world. Naturalized from Europe. 



Illustrations: Lam. Kncvcl. pi. 219 ; Engl. Dot. pi. 1357 ; Woodv. Med. Bot. 3: pi. 302; 

 Baxter, Brit. Bot. pi. 353 ; Britt. & Brown. 111. Fl./. 2258. 



2. Linum humile Mill. Gard. Diet. ed. 8. no. 2. 1768. 



Plants annual, similar to /.. usitatissimum in habit; leaves spreading or ascending, 

 the blades linear, mostly 2-4 cm. long, sessile ; bracts similar to the leaves but smaller ; 

 pedicels mostly 2.5-3 cm. long at maturity ; sepals acute or abruptly short-acuminate, the 

 outer oblong-ovate, eciliate, the inner mainly ovate, 5-6 mm. long at maturity, somewhat 

 longer than the outer ones, ciliate, all prominently 3-uerved ; petals blue, less than 1.5 

 cm. long; styles united at the base; capsules 7-9 mm. wide, much surpassing the sepals, 

 the septa ciliate ; seeds full}- 4 mm. long. 



Type locality : England (cultivated). 



Distribution : In fields and along railroads, eastern United States. Introduced from Europe. 



3. Linum grandiflorum Desf. Fl. Atlant. 1: 277. 1800. 



Plants annual, 3-11 dm. tall, the stems usually branched at the base; leaves spread- 

 ing or ascending, the blades narrowly spatulate at the base of the stem, linear to linear- 

 lanceolate or lanceolate above, 1-2.5 cm. long, acute or acuminate, 3-nerved, sessile ; bracts 

 nearly similar to the leaves, but usually with broader bases ; pedicels mostly 2.5-4 cm. long 

 at maturity ; sepals acuminate, ciliate, the outer lanceolate, sometimes broadly so, the inner 

 ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 8-10 mm. long at maturity, slightly longer than the outer; petals 

 red, 2.5-3 cm. long; styles united; capsules 5-6 mm. wide, not surpassing the sepals, the 

 septa ciliate; seeds about 4 mm. long. 



Type locality : Mascara, Algeria. 



Distribution : About gardens and in fields, eastern United States. Introduced from Europe. 



Illustrations : Desf. Fl. Atlant. pi. 78; Bot. Mag. pi. 4956 ; Fl. Serres/)/. 965. 



4. Linum Lewisii Pursh, Fl. Am. Sept. 210. 1814. 



/.ilium sibiricum Lewisii I.indl. Bot. Reg. 14: pi. 1163. 1828. 

 Linum perenne Lewisii Eat. & Wright, N. Am. Bot. 302. 1840. 

 Linum decurrens Kellogg, Proe. Calif. Acad. 3 : 44. 1863. 

 Liuum Lyallanum Alef. Bot. Zeit. 25 : 251. 1867. 

 Linum Lewisii albiflorum Cockerel], W. Am. Sci. 3: 217. 1887. 



Plants perennial, 2-7 dm. tall, the stems often branched at the base, obscurely striate ; 

 leaves erect or nearly so, commonly approximate, the blades linear or nearly so, mainly 

 1-2 cm. long, acute, thicker than those of the three preceding species; bracts similar to the 

 leaves, but smaller ; pedicels mainly 1-3 cm. long at maturity, and then bent at the base ; 

 sepals mostly 5.5-7 mm. long at maturity, the outer ovate, short-acuminate, the inner 

 broader than the outer, mucronate, all eciliate ; petals blue or rarely white, 1.5-2 cm. long, 

 mostly over 1.5 cm. long; styles distinct ; capsules 5-6 mm. wide, less than twice as long 

 as the sepals, the septa ciliate : seeds about 4 mm. long. 



Type locality' : Valleys of the Rocky Mountains. 



Distribution: Keewatin to Alaska, Texas, northern Mexico, and California, 



Illustrations: Bot. Reg. pi. 1163; Britt. & Brown, 111. Fl./. 2259. 



