LEWIS FLAX

Linum lewisii

Flax Family

(Linaceae)

One of the most widely planted native wildflowers, Lewis flax combines a spare, fountain-like growth form and fine textured foliage with an abundance of saucer-shaped, silver-blue flowers that seem to just keep coming. Each blossom lasts a single day, but the show can go on for weeks, with the fallen petals covering the ground like blue confetti. Lewis flax occurs over a very wide elevational range, from salt desert shrublands on the valley floors to high meadows in the mountains, and it is equally versatile in a garden setting. It works well in foothill and mountain meadow plantings and in perennial beds with Utah sweetvetch, Wasatch penstemon, and mountain puccoon. It does tend to be short-lived, but it self-sows freely, making it most appropriate for informal settings.