Zone 5b, blooming now.

Morning bloomer - closed by mid-day.

From seeds I scattered this spring. (I should have a record of it someplace, but?? )

24" stem, unbranched until very close to the blooming end.

Entire plant is gray-green in color.

Blooms are approx. one-half, to 3/4 inch in size.

Leaves look like perennial aster leaves - small and narrow.





Is this a tall annual phlox, perhaps? I had tossed out some seeds of those...

chelle, it looks like a Linum. I'll check what you have later, unless someone finds it first.

Agree with Super Sleuth: Linum usitatissimum, Annual Blue Phlox http://www.anniesannuals.com/s...

It's listed in database, but no info or pix...ahem.

NO WAY!! !!!!

I've been trying to grow this plant for years with no success 'til now! Yippee!!!

How in the world did I not recognize it? I guess once it was crossed off my mental list as a "can't do" I just lost the image in my brain as well.

Thanks so much!!!

[Happy dancing and skipping joyfully on over to the database and singing all the way... ]

Before I add it to the DB...

I had seeds for perenne, and I think the close-set petals of mine closely match it; what do you think? http://www.missouribotanicalga...

I only suggested the annual, because the perennial would usually not bloom the first season.

From Missouri: "Easily grown from seed (some plants may flower the first year)." Annual can bloom in 60 days from seeding.

You mentioned you just seeded them this spring. Are you sure

They both look amazingly similar though. Pick a linum, any linum...

Nope, I'm not sure which seed sprouted when...I've been tossing out seed of perenne every year for the past four, or so. These happened to pop up in one of the more undisturbed/natural (read as unweeded ) areas in which I've tossed seeds. Sooooo...they could have sprouted last year and not bloomed until this year.

I had Linum perenne some years ago, it has very long lax stems and I think the leaves are narrower.

http://www.flowerspictures.org...

I think it's a better match for Linum usitatissimum, and if that's one you have been trying to grow it looks to have finally been successful.

http://ltg.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

http://www.google.co.uk/search...

This one does have a long, lax stem and very narrow leaves. Once that area has more light I'll get some more pictures to compare. Both look good, however.

And I would call the perennial "invasive!" I find that darn stuff popping up everywhere!

The foliage on my perennial flax looks more blue-green than the foliage in your picture, chelle. The foliage on the annual scarlet flax is a much brighter green, too. I didn't know there was an annual blue one!

Maybe these will help.

Taller than I'd guessed.


I held a grass stem next to it to show relative size of stem and leaves.


All of these shots were taken in shade - in sunlight the leaves appear more gray/blue than green.

One other thing, although I don't know if it's also true of the annual flax, is the flowers don't fully open till a bit later in the day. The flowers aren't fully open in the picture I took this morning just before 8 am.

Yep. Same here. Once the sun comes around in the afternoon they close up as well.

I still say Linum usitatissimum, the leaves are quite green..

http://www.missouriplants.com/...

Aha, how many veins do the leaves have? It seems perenne only has one vein, you might need to look at the backs as I can see smaller veins near the edges of the leaf back on the missouri site.

http://rovve.eric.perso.neuf.f...

http://www.geraldearl.com/Phot...

Leaves of Linum usitatissimum ..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/h...

JRsbugs said:Leaves of Linum usitatissimum ..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/h...

That's it.

Thank you!

You've all been so helpful.

Now I gotta get some! Those perennial ones are a pain in the nether regions!