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
Flowers Are Red in a corner. Finally, the now terrified little boy gives in and tells the teacher that "flowers are red, and green leaves are green." When he goes to a different school, a new teacher encourages her students to use all sorts of colors, only to find the student only coloring his flowers red and green; when the new teacher asks the boy why, he meekly responds by quoting his previous teacher—"flowers are red, and green leaves are green." In the live concert versions, Chapin extended the song's ending to: "There still must be a way to have our children say..."