''Linum grandiflorum'' is a species of

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...

known by several common names, including flowering flax, red flax, scarlet flax, and crimson flax. It is native to Algeria and Tunisia, but it is known elsewhere in Northern Africa, Southern Europe and in several locations in North America as an

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

. It is an annual herb producing an erect, branching stem lined with waxy, lance-shaped leaves 1 to 2 centimeters long. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, 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 mai ...

bears flowers on

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branch ...

several centimeters long. The flower has 5 red petals each up to 3 centimeters long and

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 tipped with anthers bearing light blue pollen. It can on occasion be found as a casual well outside its normal established range; records from the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

, for example, are reasonably frequent (as per the latest BSBI atlas) but, grown as an annual, it rarely persists for more than one season.

Cultivation

A popular

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

plant, ''L. grandiflorum'' has been cultivated in a number of colours such as salmon. Some varieties are known as ''L. grandiflorum rubrum'', L. grandiflorum var. rubrum or L. grandiflorum 'Rubrum'. Other varieties include ''Bright Eyes''.

References

Sources

Paghat's Garden: Scarlet Flax

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
grandiflorum Flora of Algeria Plants described in 1798 {{Malpighiales-stub