Wild Blue Flax #5
by J McCombie
Title
Wild Blue Flax #5
Artist
J McCombie
Medium
Photograph - Untouched
Description
This gorgeous blue wildflower shows up a very strong lavender blue to soft lavender and even white. The base of each petal is a nice sunny yellow from which extends dark purple or dark blue veins and filaments toped with cream or soft yellow anthers. The flowers are bisexual and regular, with 5 separate sepals, 5 separate petals and 5 or 10 stamens. The sepals are alternate with the petals. The ovary is positioned superior and consists of more like 10 carpels due to intrusion of the midrib. The ovary matures as a capsule (rarely a drupe) with each cell containing 1 or 2 seeds. The capsule splits apart logitudinally like the sections of an orange.
Linum lewisii (Linum perenne var. lewisii) (Lewis flax, blue flax or prairie flax) is a perennial wildflower plant in the family Linaceae, native to western North America from Alaska south to Baja California, and from the Pacific Coast east to the Mississippi River, but can be grown with a 70 percent success rate in other parts of the United States. It grows on ridges and dry slopes, from sea level in the north up to 11,000 ft (3,400 m) in the Sierra Nevada. It is a slender herbaceous plant growing to 80 cm (32 inches) tall, with spirally arranged narrow lanceolate leaves 1–2 cm (3/4 inch) long. The flowers are pale blue or lavender to white, often veined in darker blue, with five petals 1-1.5 cm (1/2 inch) long or 3-4 cm (1-1 1/2 inches) across. Linum lewisii is extremely durable, even aggressive, in favorable conditions, successfully seeding even into established lawns.
Blue flax is a short-lived perennial with blue-green needlelike leaves on graceful 2-foot-tall stems. Leaves are narrow and about 3/4 inch long. Each stem produces several flowers, blooming from the bottom upward. The stem is leafy when the plant is young, gradually losing most of its leaves as it matures. Satiny sky blue flowers, borne on wiry stems, appear in late spring (May), last through mid-summer (September), and open fully only on sunny days, producing abundant flowers that last only a day. It rarely stands straight up, but rather leans at an angle. Small rounded seedheads form in summer. The seeds are produced on the lower flowers while those above continue to bloom. Discovered and documented by Meriwether Lewis, in whose honor it was named. Cut back to sedum-like basal growth in formal plantings or leave spent flower stems behind to blend in with a naturalistic setting. Propagation: Sow seed in spring or autumn.
The common flax plant, Linum usitatissimum, may be grown as a commercial crop in some areas. Flax is grown for the oil of its seeds, linseed oil, a protein source for livestock. Some commercial growers plant legumes as companions of the flax flower. Continued bloom of the flax flower is assured if conditions are right, due to self-seeding of this plant. A single planting in early spring provides an abundance of flax flowers in late spring and summer, but re-seeding by this plant assures a continued mass of growing flax in the meadow or natural area. Soil for planting flax should be poor and barren. Sand, clay and rocky soil all contribute to best growth of this plant. Soil that is too rich or organic may cause the plant to flop or die altogether as it is overtaken by other plantings that like rich, organic soil. Watering the growing flax plant is usually not necessary, as the plant prefers dry soil. Tips on how to grow flax should contain a recommendation that the location for planting flax be chosen carefully. It is probably not appropriate for a formal or worked up garden. as the soil will be too rich and most other plants in that setting will need water. After planting, flax plant care is simple, as little maintenance is needed when growing flax. Tiny seeds germinate within a month of planting and produce a wealth of growing flax. The flax flower lasts only a day, but there seems to always be another to take its place. If you would like to grow flax, consider seeding a meadow or open area with sunny spots. Seed sparingly until you see how the flax performs, as it has been known to escape cultivation and is considered a weed by some.
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June 24th, 2018
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