Flax Family [Linaceae] |
status
flower
inner
morph
petals
stem
2nd June 2007, corner, Princeslade corner, IoW(??) | Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone |
Likes to grow near the sea in dry grassy places. It got the first one right here. And it looks fairly dry here too, but as for grassy, well, there's one small clump at the top. It is a biennial or perennial, sometimes even an annual. |
2nd June 2007, corner, Princeslade corner, IoW(??) | Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone |
The petals are usually blue, but as we are finding, Flaxes seem to prefer breaking the rules; this specimen is white. There can be several stems, which are either erect or like leaning-over lamposts; growing to 60cm long. Leaves are narrow to elliptic-oblong, but only 0.5 to 1.5mm wide. They have between 1 to 3 veins. The sepals, which you can just about make out just beneath the topmost flower, are 4-6mm long. |
2nd June 2007, corner, Princeslade corner, IoW(??) | Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone |
Here the petals are white and between 8 to 12mm long with the largest specimens only 1mm longer than the smallest specimens of Perennial Flax (which have petals ranging from 13 - 20mm ). The filaments here are white, but with blue anthers. |
2nd June 2007, corner, Princeslade corner, IoW(??) | Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone |
The flower has a greeny-yellow centre. |
2nd June 2007, corner, Princeslade corner, IoW(??) | Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone |
There are 5 fertile stamens and another 5 shorter white sterile staminodes which lack anthers some of which can only just be made out curving close to the petals near the centre. |
2nd June 2007, corner, Princeslade corner, IoW(??) | Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone |
Nestled within the 5-angular sepal teeth is a green fruit - a capsule which grows to between 4 and 6mm, the same size range as the sepals. |
Not to be semantically confused with : any Easily mistaken for : other Flaxes It is native to the UK and grows in dry grassy places, usually near the sea. It is to be found in the West, South of from North Lincs, in Sounth Lancashire, and Anglesea; County Lough in Ireland; and in the Isle of Man. Anywhere else and it will have been planted.
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Linum | bienne | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Linaceae |
Linum (Flaxes) |
Flax Family [Linaceae] |