Linum lewisii Linum lewisii Linum lewisii ("Linum perenne" var. "lewisii") (Lewis flax, blue flax or prairie flax) is a perennial plant in the family Linaceae, native to western North America from Alaska south to Baja California, and from the Pacific Coast east to the Mississippi River (USDA Plant Profile: "Linum lewisii"). It grows on ridges and dry slopes, from sea level in the north up to in the Sierra Nevada. It is a slender herbaceous plant growing to 80 cm tall, with spirally arranged narrow lanceolate leaves 1–2 cm long. The flowers are pale blue or lavender to white, often veined in
Language of flowers "The Language of Flowers." First published in 1884, it continues to be reprinted to this day. In the United States the first print appearance of the language of flowers was in the writings of Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, a French-American naturalist, who wrote on-going features under the title "The School of Flora," from 1827 through 1828, in the weekly Saturday Evening Post and the monthly "Casket; or Flowers of Literature, Wit, and Sentiment." These pieces contained the botanic, English, and French names of the plant, a description of the plant, an explanation of its Latin names, and the flower's emblematic meaning.