''Linum marginale'', commonly known as native flax or wild flax, is a species of flowering plant 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 of ...

and is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to Australia. It is a

perennial 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 wid ...

herb with few branches, linear leaves, and blue flowers with five usually blue petals with darker veins.

Description

''Linum marginale'' is a

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin '' glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...

, often glaucous, perennial herb that typically grows to a height of and has a single stem or a few, branching at the base. The leaves are linear to narrow elliptic, long and wide with a single vein. The flowers are borne singly or in loose panicles on the ends of the stem, each flower on a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

long. The

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...

s are egg-shaped, long with thin edges, the petals are usually blue, rarely white, sometimes with darker veins, long and the anthers are white. Flowering occurs in spring and summer and the fruit is a more or less spherical capsule in diameter and containing brown seeds.

Taxonomy

''Linum marginale'' was first formally described in 1825 by Allan Cunningham in Barron Field's ''Geographical Memoirs on New South Wales''. The specific epithet (''marginale'') means "along the edge", referring to the sepals.

Distribution and habitat

Native flax occurs in all Australian states, but not the Northern Territory. It is widespread in grassland, woodland and forest, sometimes on the edge of swamps and is found in most regions of New South Wales and Victoria, but only in the south-west of Western Australia and the south-east of South Australia.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6554954 marginale Flora of Australia Plants described in 1825 Taxa named by Allan Cunningham (botanist)