Scientific Family
Linaceae
Synonyms
Linum crepitans, L. humile, L. indehiscens, L. sativum, L. usitatissimum var. humile, L. usitatissimum var. usistatissimum
Other common names
common flax
linseed
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Introduced
Lifecycle
Annual
Similar species
Linum lewisii, Linum perrenne
Height
To 31-1/2 inches
Riparian
No
Grows upright or curved with slender, leafy stems that are unbranched or few-branched at the base and marked with fine parallel lines; narrow, hairless leaves have 3 distinct ribs; loose clusters of blue (rarely white) flowers grow at the stem tips.
Annuals; petals usually blue, rarely white; stigmas narrow or thicker at the apex; margins of inner sepals minutely hairy; petals <1/2 inch long; capsules <1/3 inch long, tips rounded; seeds 1/4 inch long.
Habitat
Disturbed areas: waste grounds, roadsides, fields, near grain elevators, in the coarse stone of railroad beds, abandoned homesteads.
Plant Community
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
0
High elevation
7874
Flower Characteristics
Loose, elongated clusters of stalked flowers grow at the tips of branching stems. Flowers 3/4 to 1 inch wide, have 5 broadly oval petals with thin, papery edges. The typically blue petals range from pale blue to bright blue-violet. Sepal margins hairy.
Flower color
Blue, rarely white
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
March
Last bloom month
April
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves are 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches long, about 1/8 inch wide, linear, with 3 distinct ribs, stalkless, toothless and hairless becoming smaller into the flowering branches. Stems are single or multiple from the base, leafy, hairless and smooth throughout.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruit is dry and less than 1/3 inch long, broadly egg-shaped, almost spherical with a rounded top, margins may be fringed with hair or hairless. At maturity, it splits incompletely into 10 segments with pointed tips.
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit color
Light brown
Seeds are 1/4 inch long, light brown, smooth, glossy and resembling an apple seed.