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Linum lewisii
Linum lewisii Pursh
Wild Blue Flax, Prairie Flax, Lewis Flax, Lewis's Flax
Linaceae (Flax Family)
Synonym(s):
USDA Symbol: LILE3
USDA Native Status: L48 (N), AK (N), CAN (N)
Prairie flax grows 18-30 inches tall. It rarely stands straight up, but rather leans at an angle. Flowers are pale blue, with 5 petals about 1-1 1/2 inches across, veined in darker blue. Each stem produces several flowers, blooming from the bottom upward. The seeds are produced on the lower flowers while those above continue to bloom. The stem is leafy when the plant is young, gradually losing most of its leaves as it matures. Leaves are narrow and about 3/4 inch long.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Subshrub
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Up to about 30 inches tall.
Leaf: Green
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: Blue , PurpleBloom Time: Mar , Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep
Distribution
USA: AK , AR , AZ , CA , CO , ID , KS , LA , MI , MN , MT , ND , NE , NM , NV , OK , OR , SD , TX , UT , WA , WV , WYCanada: AB , MB , SK
Native Distribution: Roughly the western 3/4 of North America, from Alaska and subarctic Canada as far south as Durango and Nuevo Leon in northern Mexico
Native Habitat: Woodland,Prairie/Meadow/Field
Growing Conditions
Water Use: MediumLight Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry
CaCO3 Tolerance: High
Drought Tolerance: High
Soil Description: Sand
Benefit
Use Medicinal: Eyewash (Kindscher) Boils, poultice of fresh crushed leaves applied to irritated eyes, wash of tobacco and blue flax to improve hair. (Weiner)Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Value to Beneficial Insects
Special Value to Native BeesThis information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
Find Seed or Plants
Order seed of this species from Native American Seed and help support the Wildflower Center.
Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.
From the National Organizations Directory
According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - Austin, TX
NPSOT - Austin Chapter - Austin, TX
Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR
NPSOT - Williamson County Chapter - Georgetown, TX
Bibliography
Bibref 1207 - Earth Medicine, Earth Food (1990) Michael A. WeinerBibref 610 - Edible wild plants of the prairie : an ethnobotanical guide (1987) Kindscher, K.
Bibref 946 - Gardening with Prairie Plants: How to Create Beautiful Native Landscapes (2002) Wasowski, Sally
Bibref 841 - Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (2006) Burrell, C. C.
Bibref 318 - Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
Bibref 248 - Texas Wildflowers: A Field Guide (1984) Loughmiller, C. & L. Loughmiller
Bibref 1294 - The Midwestern Native Garden: Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants An Illustrated Guide (2011) Adelman, Charlotte and Schwartz, Bernard L.
Search More Titles in Bibliography
Web Reference
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.From the Archive
Wildflower Newsletter 1990 VOL. 7, NO.4 - Research Update, Wild-Collecting Endangers Natives, Director's Report, Maryland ...Additional resources
USDA: Find Linum lewisii in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Linum lewisii in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Linum lewisii
Metadata
Record Modified: 2023-02-16Research By: TWC Staff