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Plant Profile

Sand Flax (Linum arenicola)

Photo Credit: Keith Bradley

Global Rank: G1 - Critically Imperiled
Legal Status: Federally Endangered
Family: Linaceae
State: FL
Nature Serve ID: 152712
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection:

Description:

Sand Flax is a perennial herb with wiry stems 8-28 inches tall and 1/2 inch flowers with 5 petals native to the pine rocklands. Their habitat has been nearly destroyed by development and the introduction of invasive plants. Suppression of natural and necessary fires is also an important factor to this species survival.

Where is Sand Flax (Linum arenicola) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Linum Arenicola can be found in the pine rockland habitats of Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties in South Florida.

Distribution:

USFWS (2004) reports that there are somewhat more than 10,000 plants of Linum Arenicola altogether (seven populations occuring in Miami-Dade County and two in the Florida Keys), with 1,000 to 3,000 of these in non-natural settings.

Habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation, and associated pressures from increased human population, are major threats to Linum arenicola. These threats are expected to continue, placing these plants at greater risk. This plant may be impacted when pine rocklands are converted to other uses or when lack of fire causes the conversion to hardwood hammocks or other unsuitable habitat conditions. Any populations of this found on private property could be destroyed by development; the limited pine rocklands, rockland hammock, and coastal berm habitat on public lands can also be affected by development of recreational facilities or infrastructure projects. (Federal Register 2016.)

States & Provinces:

Sand Flax can be found in Florida

Which CPC Partners conserve Sand Flax (Linum arenicola)?

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 06/09/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

Tina Stanley

05/11/2023

According to a March 2023 extract of the Florida Plant Rescue Database, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden holds 14 accessions of Linum arenicola totalling approximately 1561 seeds representing 229 maternal lines.

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

This species is known from about nine sites in southern Florida. Altered fire and disturbance regimes and destruction of habitat by urban development are continuing and ongoing threats to many locations where these plants occur. Although each population is small, few are protected. The species appears to have two disjunct population centers, with the northern center having a smaller population number. This species' preferred habitat (pine rocklands) has been nearly destroyed as a result of development, with associated disruption of community processes such as fire regime and vulnerability to invasion by non-native species.