Linum lewisii explained

Linum lewisii (Linum perenne var. lewisii) (Lewis flax, blue flax or prairie flax) is a perennial plant in the family Linaceae, native to western North America.

Description

It is a slender herbaceous plant growing to 80cm (30inches) tall, with spirally arranged narrow lanceolate leaves NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches) long. The flowers are pale blue or lavender to white, often veined in darker blue, with five petals 1–1.5 cm long and in varying length styles.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} The flowers open in the morning and fade, dropping their petals by noon on hot, sunny days.

Etymology

The species was named for North American explorer Meriwether Lewis.^[5]

Distribution and habitat

The plant is native to western North America from Alaska south to Baja California, and from the Pacific Coast east to the Mississippi River.^[6] It grows on ridges and dry slopes, from sea level in the north up to 11000feet in the Sierra Nevada.^{[7] [8]}

Cultivation

Blue flax is a durable wildflower in garden conditions, never becoming overly aggressive towards other plants. Plants are easily grown from seed.^[9] Blue flax grows well in lean soils without much organic matter and are healthier in well-drained soils.^[10]

Notes and References

1. Book: Norman F. Weeden . A Sierra Nevada Flora . Wilderness Press . 1996 . 9780899972046 . 4th . registration.
2. Web site: Linum lewisii . Klinkenberg . Brian . 2014 . 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 . 2018-01-17.
3. Web site: Linum lewisii . Giblin . David . 2015 . WTU Herbarium Image Collection . Burke Museum, University of Washington . 2018-01-17.
4. Web site: Linum lewisii . 2015 . Jepson eFlora: Taxon page . Jepson Herbarium; University of California, Berkeley . 2018-01-17.
5. Book: Reiner, Ralph E.. Introducing the Flowering Beauty of Glacier National Park and the Majestic High Rockies. Glacier Park, Inc.. 1969. 98.
6. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=LILE3 USDA Plant Profile: Linum lewisii
7. Web site: Sullivan . Steven. K. . 2015 . Linum lewisii . 2018-01-17 . Wildflower Search.
8. Web site: 2015 . Linum lewisii . 2018-01-17 . PLANTS Database . United States Department of Agriculture; Natural Resources Conservation Service.
9. Book: Barr . Claude A. . Jewels of the plains : wild flowers of the Great Plains grasslands and hills . 1983 . University of Minnesota Press . Minneapolis . 0-8166-1127-0 . 18.
10. Web site: Blue flax . Fine Gardening . The Taunton Press, Inc. . 30 May 2023.