NATURAL HISTORY

CARTER'S SMALL-FLOWERED FLAX } Linum carteri carteri
FAMILY: Linaceae

DESCRIPTION: This annual herb produces bright yellow flowers and sheds its petals shortly after blooming. It has smooth, narrowly wing-angled stems, narrow leaves and fruit reseembling a round capsule. It grows to be 4 to 24 inches tall.

HABITAT: This flower grows in Miami-Dade County in pine rockland habitat – which is made up of exposed limestone that supports hardwood hammocks and saw palmetto.

RANGE: The plant's range encompasses all pine rockland habitat in Miami-Dade County in Florida.

BREEDING: Reproduction is believed to be sexual. The flower structure suggests that the plant is likely pollinated by bees, butterflies, or both – or it may self-pollinate.

LIFE CYCLE: The lifecycle of the Carter's small-flowered flax is unknown.

THREATS: This plant is mainly threatened by habitat conversion for urban and agricultural uses (stemming from human population growth and subsequent development), inadequate fire management, nonnative invasive plants, climate change and sea-level rise.

POPULATION TREND: This species' population is in decline.

Photo courtesy USFWS