THE BULGARIAN FLORA ONLINE

Linum catharticum

Fairy Flax

Pictures of Linum catharticum (Fairy Flax)

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Common names

Fairy Flax.

Scientific name

Linum catharticum L.

Conservation status and threats

NOT protected species in Bulgaria.

Description and identification

Linum catharticum is usually annual herbaceous plant, very slender, glabrous, rarely more than 15 cm.

Leaves 1-veined, lower obovate-lanceolate, upper lanceolate.

Inflorescence a lax dichasium; flowers nodding in bud, on long slender pedicels.

Sepals 2-3 mm, lanceolate, glandular-ciliate.

Petals obovate, entire or shallowly emarginate, about twice as long as sepals, white, with a yellow claw.

Capsule globose; seeds compressed¹.

Flowering May-August.

Habitat

Dry and wet, grassy and rocky, often calcareous places, from the plains to the high mountain belt².

Distribution in Bulgaria

Predbalkan, Stara Planina, Sofia region, Znepole region, Vitosha region, Western Border Mountains, Struma Valley, Slavyanka, Pirin, Rila, Sredna Gora, Western and Middle Rhodopes, Thracian Lowland, from 200 to 2600 meters altitude³.

Map of distribution in Bulgaria of Linum catharticum by floristic regions (in grey)⁴:

General distribution

Map of general distribution (green - native, purple - introduced)⁵:

References

1 D. J. Ockendon and S. M. Walters. 1968. Linum L. – In: Tutin, T. G. & al. (eds), Flora Europaea. Vol. 2. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge.

2 Петрова, А. 1979. Флора на Н. Р. България. Том VІІ. Издателство на БАН, София.

3 Петрова, А. 1979. Флора на Н. Р. България. Том VІІ. Издателство на БАН, София.

4 Assyov, B., A. Petrova, D. Dimitrov & R. Vassilev. 2012. Conspectus of the vascular flora of Bulgaria. Sofia, Bulgarian biodiversity foundation.

4 Linum catharticum L. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science

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