''Linum lewisii'' (''Linum perenne'' var. ''lewisii'') (Lewis flax, blue flax or prairie flax) is a

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

in the family

Linaceae Linaceae is a family of flowering plants. The family is cosmopolitan, and includes about 250 species in 14 genera, classified into two subfamilies: the Linoideae and Hugonioideae (often recognized as a distinct family, the Hugoniaceae). Leaves ...

, native to western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

from

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...

south to

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

, and from the

Pacific Coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western or southwestern border, except for Panama, where the Pac ...

east to the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

. It grows on ridges and dry slopes, from sea level in the north up to in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primar ...

. It is a slender

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition o ...

plant growing to tall, with spirally arranged narrow lanceolate

leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

long. The flowers are pale blue or lavender to white, often veined in darker blue, with five petals 1–1.5 cm long. The plant was named for North American explorer

Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, wit ...

Cultivation

''Linum lewisii'' is extremely durable, even aggressive, in favorable conditions, successfully seeding even into established lawns. File:Blue flax Linum lewisii flower close.jpg, The inflorescence is a terminal open racime. File:Linum lewisii 9620.JPG, Flowers are pale blue or lavender to white, often veined in darker blue, with varying-length styles. File:Linum lewisii 9746.JPG, Leaves are lanceolate, spirally arranged, long.

Uses

According to Melvin R. Gilmore, the seeds were gathered by Native Americans and cooked for their flavor and nutritious quality. Some Native Americans used the fibers to make cordage.

References

* *''Mojave Desert Wildflowers,'' Jon Mark Stewart, 1998, pg. 141
Illinois wildflowers: ''Linum perenne lewisii''Fine gardening: ''Linum lewisii''
lewisii Flora of the Western United States Flora of California Flora of Baja California Drought-tolerant plants Garden plants Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Malpighiales-stub