Linum lewisii Pursh (1813: 210)

González-Velasco, Juan, Burgos-Hernández, Mireya, Galván-Escobedo, Iris G. & Castillo-Campos, Gonzalo, 2022, Taxonomic update of the flax family in Mexico, Phytotaxa 549 (2), pp. 141-184 : 155-156

Linum lewisii Pursh (1813: 210) . ( Fig. 6d ).

Type:— UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Missouri : In the valleys of the Rocky Mountains and on the banks, M. Lewis s.n. (holotype PH!) .

Linum sibiricum var. lewisii (Pursh) Lindley (1828: 1163) .

Linum perenne var. lewisii (Pursh) Eaton & C.Wright (1840: 302) .

Linum perenne subsp. lewisii (Pursh) Hultén (1947: 1122) .

Adenolinum lewisii (Pursh) Á.Löve & D. Löve (1982: 348) .

Description: — Herbs, perennial, 5–80 cm in height, glabrous or nearly glabrous, root thick; stems erect, ascending, striate, branched near the base, glabrous. Leaves entire, alternate, linear to linear-lanceolate or linear-oblanceolate, 5.0–30.0 × 0.7–2.0(–4.5) mm, sessile, apex acute, 1-nerved, rough, glabrous, stipular glands absent. Inflorescence a cymose panicle, pedicels sparsely villous, 5.0–16.5(–20) mm long; bracts 3.2–6.4(8.0) mm long, margin entire, apex acute; sepals persistent, elliptical to elliptical-ovate, 2.6–5.0 × 1.8–3.7 mm; margin entire, scariose, whitish; apex acute; 1–3-nerved, stipular glands absent; petals blue, obovate, 6.0–15.0(–23.0) mm long; stamens 3.0–10.0 mm in length; anthers 1.0–1.7(–2.2) mm long, white; staminodia present, thin; styles free, 1.5–6.5(–12.0) mm long; stigmata capitate, light yellow. Fruit widely ovate, yellow, 4.6–7.0 × 4.4–6.8 mm, glabrous, pericarp thick, apex acute to apiculate, dehiscent into 10 segments; false septa partially developed, ciliate; seeds lanceolate-ovate, dark brown, 2.5–4.5 × 1.5–3.0 mm.

Distribution: — United States of America; in Mexico, in Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Sonora, and Tamaulipas ( Fig. 5a ).

Habitat and ecology: —Oyamel fir forest, cypress-juniper forest, crassi-rosette-leaved thorny shrublands, oak forests, yucca forests, thornless or sub-thornless small-leaved shrubland, grasslands, pine forests, low evergreen thorny tropical forest, deciduous forest, and thorny shrubland. Elevation 1500–3700 m. Cambisol, Kastanozem, Phaeozem, Lithosol, Luvisol, Planosol, Regosol, Rendzina, Vertisol, and Xerosol soil types.

Phenology:—Flowering and fruiting in April–October.

Note: — Linum lewisii can be confused with L. usitatissimum ; however, the sepals shorter than the fruit with scariose whitish margins, a smaller bearing, and the capitate stigmata differentiate L. lewisii from the latter.

Conservation status: —Although the AOO of this species is 76 km 2, the EOO (237,518.364 km 2) along with other subcriteria ( IUCN 2019), such as a large number of environments where it occurs and the number of known localities inside and outside the country, make it possible to catalog L. lewisii as Least Concern (LC).

Specimens examined: — MEXICO. Baja California: San Pedro Martír, Sierra de San Pedro Martír , 2560 m, 30°58’00”N, 115°25’00”W, 19 June 1985, R.F. Thorne et al. 60925 ( MEXU!) . Chihuahua: Madera, Colonia Chuhuichupa , 2240 m, 24 June 1990, A. Benítez 1382 (ANSM!, CHAP!, CIIDIR!, IEB!, UAMIZ!) ; Madera, Rancho La Ciénega , 2500 m, 31 August 1990, O. Bravo B. 1391 (CHAP!, CIIDIR!, UAMIZ!) . Coahuila: Arteaga, Las Vigas Sierra de Arteaga , 2600 m, 25°20’00”N, 100°39’00”W, J.A. Villarreal & M.A. Carranza 3784 (ANSM!, CIIDIR!) ; Arteaga, Sierra de Los Lirios , 3600 m, 3 July 1943, E. Lyonnet 4003 (CHAP!, IEB!) ; Cerro San Pedro near N.L., 2200 m, 24°46’00”N, 100°47’30”W, 22 August 1974, T. Wendt et al. 627 ( CHAPA!) ; Cima de Sierra La Marta , 3600 m, 25 October 1984, McDonald & Gómez 1247 ( XAL!) ; Cima de Sierra La Viga , 3300 m, 25 October 1984, McDonald & Gómez 1211 ( XAL!) ; Ramos Arizpe, Cañon del Carmen , 1400 m, 25°59’10”N, 101°28’30”W, 5 August 1975, M.F. Robert & J. Passini 4498 ( ANSM!) ; Ramos Arizpe, Sierra de La Paila , 2000 m, 25°58’00”N, 100°25’00”W, 31 October 1987, J.A. Villarreal et al. 4156 ( ANSM!) ; Ramos Arizpe, Cañon Loma Prieta , 1600 m, 25°51’00”N, 101°30’00”W, 23 October 1985, J.A. Villarreal et al. 3110 ( ANSM!) ; Saltillo, Carretera 54 a 1 km al S de Guadalupe Victoria, 1950 m, 24°59’53”N, 101°04’84”W, 25 September 2013, F. Meraz et al. 108 ( CIIDIR!) ; Saltillo. Sierra La Viga , 3700 m, 22 August 1986, McDonald 2087 ( XAL!) ; Sierra Coahuilon , 3500 m, 18 June 1985, McDonald 1512 ( XAL!) ; Sierra Coahuilon , 2500 m, 22 July 1985, McDonald 1725 ( XAL!) ; Sierra de la Marta, 3580 m, 16 June 1985, McDonald 1433 (IBUG!, XAL!) ; Sierra Maderas del Carmen , 2250 m, 28°59’00”N, 102°36’30”W, 3 August 1974, T. Wendt & A. Adamcewicz 458 ( CHAPA!) . Durango: Pueblo Nuevo, El Salto , 2650 m, 23°47’26.2”N, 105°23’48.9”W, 1 September 1934, F.E. Pennel 18563 ( MEXU!) . Nuevo Leon: Cerro del Potosí , 3650 m, 21 June 1985, McDonald 1550 ( XAL!) ; Cumbre de Cerro Potosí, 3600 m, 26 July 1985, McDonald 1780 ( XAL!) ; Galeana, Cerro del Potosí , 3500 m, 16 May 1981, L. Arce et al. 1333 ( ANSM!) ; Galeana , Rancho El Compromiso, 1600 m, 3 August 1999, E. Estrada C. 10553 ( ANSM!) ; Galeana, Rancho Aguililla , 1885 m, 29 June 2000, Hinton et al. 27593 ( ANSM!) ; Galeana , Cima del Cerro Potosí, 3670 m, 3 August 1988, A. García 61 (CHAP!, CIIDIR!) ; Galeana, Rancho Aguililla , 1850 m, 8 August 1990, Hinton et al. 20476 ( CHAPA!) ; Galeana , Cima del Cerro Potosí, 3500 m, 4 August 1988, A. García 74 ( CIIDIR!) . San Luis Potosi: Charcas, Sierra de Monte Grande , 2300 m, 14 September 1989, J.A. Reyes A. 430 ( CHAPA!) . Sonora: Agua Prieta, Rancho Puerta Blanca ( Cuenca Los Ajos Reserve ), 1295 m, 31°18’57”N. 109°05’35”W, 23 March 2007, A.L. Reina & T.R. Van Devender 275 ( MEXU!) . Tamaulipas: Peña Nevada , 3600 m, 5 July 1985, McDonald 1618 ( XAL!) .

Figures

FIGURE 5. Geographic distribution in the Mexican territory of:A. L. cruciata, L. lasiocarpum, L. lewisii, L. mexicanum, and L. tenellum; B. L. elongatum, L. neomexicanum, L. puberulum, L. rzedowskii, and L. schiedeanum; C. L. modestum, L. orizabae, L. pringlei, L. scabrellum, and L. vernale. Maps by Ma. Isabel Olivares.

FIGURE 6. A. Linum elongatum; B. Linum flagellare; C. Linum lasiocarpum; D. Linum lewisii. Photographs by José Luis Colin.