FLAX (PERENNIAL)

Linum perenne

Flax Family [Linaceae]  

status
statusZnative
flower
flower8blue
inner
inner8yellow
morph
morph8actino
petals
petalsZ5
stem
stem8round
rarity
rarityZscarce

26th June 2014, Thrislington NNR, Durham. Photo: © Simon Melville
Despite it's paleness, your Author thinks these are not those of Pale Flax but rather one of the many differing phenotypes of Perennial Flax, where the colour and other characteristics can vary slightly from those normally found. The petals can also sometimes be white. The petal shapes are also unusual in not filling most of the gaps between petals.


26th June 2014, Thrislington NNR, Durham. Photo: © Simon Melville


26th June 2014, Thrislington NNR, Durham. Photo: © Simon Melville
Perennial Flax has a yellow centre. The leaves on Perennia Flax are alternate (as well as on Scarlet Flax, Pale Flax and Flax aka Cultivated Flax) - so that is not much of a clue! [The leaves are only opposite on two Linum species : Fairy Flax and Allseed (Linum radiola) (Not to be confused with Four-Leaved Allseed (Polycarpon tetraphyllum))]


26th June 2014, Thrislington NNR, Durham. Photo: © Simon Melville
The partially yellow tube is also visible from a side view behind and between the 5 sepal teeth.


26th June 2014, Thrislington NNR, Durham. Photo: © Simon Melville
The leaves on Perennial Flax can be between 1mm to 3.5mm wide (in comparison to 1.5mm to 3mm max 4mm for Cultivated Flax). [On Pale Flax the leaves are 3-veined - no veins visible here so these specimens are not Pale Flax despite the paleness of the petals]


26th June 2014, Thrislington NNR, Durham. Photo: © Simon Melville
The stigmas (of which there are 5?) are capitate (like the head of a pin) and either longer or shorter than the 5 anthers along with 5 staminodes (infertile stamens which are usually shorter - possibly the white ones lacking yellow pollen)
The petals, at 13-20mm long, have about the same size range as the 12-20mm of Cultivated Flax


26th June 2014, Thrislington NNR, Durham. Photo: © Simon Melville
The sepals are 3.5mm to 6.5mm long on Perennial Flax.


Easily confused with : Cultivated Flax (Linum usitatissimum)

Not to be semantically confused with : any Toadflaxes such as Purple Toadflax (Linaria purpurea), Ivy-leaved Toadflax (Cymbalaria muralis), Sand Toadflax (Linaria arenaria), Malling Toadflax (Chaenorhinum origanifolium), Bastard Toadflax (Thesium humifusum) Flax Dodder (Cuscuta epilinum), Flaxfield Rye-grass (Lolium remotum), New-Zealand Flax (Phormium tenax), Toadflax-leaved St John's-wort (Hypericum linariifolium) [plants with similar names belonging to differing families]

No relation to : Phlox Family (Polemoniaceae) where Jacob's-Ladder (Polemonium caeruleum) presently resides nor with Flixweed (Descurainia sophia) [plants with similar names]

The Perennial Flax in the UK is the subspecies ssp. anglicum.

There exist cultivated versions for gardens, which includes one called 'Blue Sapphire'.


  Linum perenne  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Linaceae  

Distribution
family8Flax family8Linaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8linum
Linum
(Flaxes)

FLAX (PERENNIAL)

Linum perenne

Flax Family [Linaceae]  

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