Plant Name
Scientific Name: Linum pratense
Synonyms: Adenolinum pratense, Linum lewisii var. pratense
Common Name: Meadow Flax
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Annual
Growth Habit: Herb/Forb
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Desert
Flower Color: Very pale blue
Flowering Season: Spring
Height: To 16 inches (41 cm) tall
Description: The flowers are non-solitary and have 5 narrowly fan-shaped petals, styles shorter than the stamens, 5 arrowhead-shaped anthers, and 5 spherical stigmas. The flower buds are nodding or drooping. The leaves are green and linear to narrowly lanceolate in shape. The stems are green, slender, and hairless.
The similar Lewis Flax (Linum lewisii) grows at higher elevations and has broader, darker blue or white petals and longer styles.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Linales
Family: Linaceae – Flax family
Genus: Linum L. – flax
Species: Linum pratense (Norton) Small – meadow flax
More About This Plant