Pale Flax

Pale Flax - Linum bienne

Description

The pale flowers are slightly smaller than those of Flax (Linum usitatissimum), but the two can be easily confused and expert help is needed for a safe determination of species. 

Identification difficulty
Recording advice

Either obtain confirmation from a County Recorder before submitting a record, or submit detailed images showing key features.  We recommend that you take and retain a specimen; the County Recorder may wish to see this for confirmation. 

Habitat

A herb of dry grassy places and grassland-scrub mosaics, chiefly near the sea; its habitats include cliff-slopes and coombes, path and field margins, roadsides, railway banks and old quarries. It appears to favour warm, sheltered, South facing slopes and relatively infertile, drought-prone soils.

When to see it

In flower between June and September.

Life History

Annual, biennial or short-lived perennial.

UK Status

Mainly occurring in the southern half of Britain – particularly around the coasts of southern England and Wales.

VC55 Status

Rare in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the Flora of Leicestershire (Primavesi & Evans, 1988) it was found in 8 of the 617 tetrads.

In the VC55 Checklist (Jeeves 2011) it is listed as Alien; neophyte; Rare

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Additional images

No additional images available for this species.

All NatureSpot records