Our plant of the week for the last part of July is Grooved Yellow Flax which is known by its scientific name as Linum sulcatum. Although it is flowering on the bluff prairies at this time, its yellow flowers are hard to pick out amongst the explosion of yellow sunflowers and coneflowers which are now dominant. It is widespead across North America, but has a fairly high "C-value", or coefficient of conservation, of 8 out of 10. Species which are the most sensitive to habitat degradation and therefore are only found growing on the most pristine sites have high C-values. Each flower remains in bloom for only a single day, but the blooming period lasts up to 2 months. This plant is an annual which reproduces itself each year by seed preferring full sun, dry conditions, and open soil in disturbed areas or after fire.
Here is one growing on Zoerb Prairie:
The "grooves" on this plant, which occur along the stem, are difficult to see. At the base of each leaf on the stem there is also a brown or black spot that is also not easy to see. So, you better have your trusty 10 loupe to see these features and join the "groovy crowd"!
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