Taxon Report

Linum puberulum (Engelm.) Heller

plains flax

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Linum puberulum, commonly known as plains flax, is a perennial herb in the Linaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Great Basin scrub, Joshua tree "woodland", Mojavean desert scrub, and Pinyon and juniper woodland, growing at elevations from 1000 to 2500 meters. Linum puberulum is ranked 2B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Linum puberulum (Engelm.) Heller
Common Name:	plains flax
Family:	Linaceae
Element Code:	PDLIN020P0
USDA Plants Symbol:	LIPU4
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: May-Jul(Oct)	May-Jul(Oct)
Elevation:	1000-2500 (3280-8205)
General Habitats:	Great Basin scrub, Joshua tree "woodland", Mojavean desert scrub, Pinyon and juniper woodland
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.3
Global Rank:	G5
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:	changed from 2.3 to 2B.3 on 2013-06-12 added to 2.3 on 2006-11-28

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	13
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	1
Good (B)	1
Fair (C)	1
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	10

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Bernardino (SBD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Castle Peaks (3511532), Clark Mtn. (3511555), Hart Peak (3511531), Ivanpah (3511533), Mescal Range (3511545), Mid Hills (3511524), Pinto Valley (3511523)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	4
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	3	23 %
Grazing	2	15%
Mining	1	7%
ORV activity	1	7%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	1	7%

Notes



Known in California only from San Bernardino County. See Pl. Wright. 1: 25 (1852) for original description and Pl. World 1: 22 (1897) for revised nomenclature.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

CRPR List Addition on 2006-11-28

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 28 October 2025].