Linum virgultorum, Boiss. & Heldr. ex Planchon

Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A., 1981, Flora Europaea. Volume 2. Rosaceae to Umbelliferae, Cambridge University Press : 208

17. L. virgultorum Boiss. & Heldr. ex Planchon , London Jour. Bot. (Hooker) 7: 172 (1848).

Glabrous annual; stems 5-20 cm, erect or ascending below. Leaves up to 2 mm wide, linearlanceolate, 1-veined, with scabrid margins. Sepals 6-8 mm, lanceolate-acuminate, with scabrid margins. Petals 2 -2 | times as long as sepals, blue. Stigmas capitate. Capsule 4-5-5 mm, subglobose. Heterostylous. S. Greece (Athinai). Gr. (Anatolia.) (18-21). L. perenne group. Glabrous perennials, sometimes caespitose and woody at the base; stems up to 60 cm, erect, ascending or decumbent. Leaves 1—3(—4) mm wide, linear or linear-lanceolate, entire, 1- to 3-veined. Sepals 3-5-6 mm, unequal, the outer narrower than the inner and with an acute or acuminate apex, the inner with a rounded or mucronate apex and entire, scarious margins. Petals 3-4 times as long as sepals, blue. Stigmas capitate. Capsule 3-5-7(-8) mm, subglobose, beak very short or absent. Usually heterostylous.

A difficult group in need of further study. There is considerable variation in habit, width of leaves, number of flowers in the inflorescence, shape and size of petals, sepals and capsules, and posture of fruiting pedicels. At least some of this variation can be environmentally induced. The variation of most characters is almost continuous and intermediates between taxa can be found; most of these taxa have therefore been treated here as subspecies, since the incomplete morphological separation is often accompanied by geographical isolation.

1 Homostylous, with anthers and stigmas at about the same height 21. leonii 1 Heterostylous, with anthers and stigmas at different heights

2 Leaves very crowded, 6 mm or less 20. punctatum

2 Leaves moderately crowded, the longest at least 10 mm

3 Pedicels deflexed or flexuous 19. austriacum

3Pedicels erect, ± straight 18. perenne