''Hesperolinon'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

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. Description The leaves of the Linaceae are always simple; arran ...

, whose common genus names are dwarf-flax or western flax, in reference to their distribution along the west coast of North America. There are 13 known species within this genus of

wildflower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, rather than being intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is any different from the native plant, eve ...

s, most of which are limited to

serpentine soil Serpentine soil is an uncommon soil type produced by weathered ultramafic rock such as peridotite and its metamorphic derivatives such as serpentinite. More precisely, serpentine soil contains minerals of the serpentine subgroup, especially an ...

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s within

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States. Helen K. Sharsmith, 1961 ''Univ Calif Publ Bot'', 32:235–314 These annual plants are thought to be mostly

self-pollinating Self-pollination is a form of pollination in which pollen arrives at the Stigma (botany), stigma of a flower (in flowering plants) or at the ovule (in gymnosperms) of the same plant. The term cross-pollination is used for the opposite case, where ...

Description

Stems vary between five and fifty centimeters in length, with thread-like to linear leaves generally alternate: the leaves are typically not planar and not clasping.

Cymes In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a main axis ( ped ...

are characteristically open and pedicels are somewhat thread-like and ascending. The

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

has five

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 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s, whose margins may be minutely gland-toothed. Five

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s are widely spreading between one and twelve millimeters in dimension. These yellow, white or rose colored petals each manifest three minute scales at the inner base. There are five

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s and four to six

ovary The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/ oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are end ...

chambers; styles number two to three.

Fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

s have a smooth surface exterior.

History

Hesperolinon was originally classified as a section of

Linum ''Linum'' (flax) is a genus of approximately 200 species''Linum''.
The Jepson Manual. ...

in 1865. In 1907 it was separated into its own genus under Linaceae, where it remains . Sclerolinon digynum was classified under ''Hesperolinon'' from 1887 until 1966, when C. M. Rogers reclassified it under its current monotypic genus (''Sclerolinon'').

Species

* '' Hesperolinon adenophyllum'' - glandular western flax * '' Hesperolinon bicarpellatum'' - bicarpellate western flax * '' Hesperolinon breweri'' - Brewer's western flax * '' Hesperolinon californicum'' - California western flax * '' Hesperolinon clevelandii'' - Allen Springs dwarf flax * '' Hesperolinon congestum'' - Marin western flax * '' Hesperolinon didymocarpum'' - Lake County western flax * '' Hesperolinon disjunctum'' - Coast Range western flax * '' Hesperolinon drymarioides'' - drymary western flax * '' Hesperolinon micranthum'' - smallflower western flax * '' Hesperolinon serpentinum'' * '' Hesperolinon sharsmithiae'' - Sharsmith's western flax * '' Hesperolinon spergulinum'' - slender western flax * '' Hesperolinon tehamense'' - Paskenta Grade western flax, Tehama western flax

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment
Malpighiales genera Flora of California {{Malpighiales-stub