Pale Flax and Wild Thyme

Pale Flax (Linum bienne)

Colour photograph of the Pale Flax (Linum bienne)wild flower found on the grassland dunes of Bull Island, Dublin. Lovely pale flax can be found growing amidst the dry tall grasses on the open sunny dune grassland, reaching a height of 60 cm. The wiry stems are sheathed in small narrow pointed leaves arranged alternately. Each flower has five rounded pale blue petals spread out flatly about 20 mm across. Each petal is prominately veined in a deeper blue. A central blue style rises from the superior ovary and the fruit is a capsule. Pale flax is an ancestor of the cultivated flax used for the linen industry. Flowers: June-August

By kind permission of Dorothy Forde

Pale Flax (Linum bienne)
By kind permission of Dorothy Forde

Pale Flax (Linum bienne)

Colour photograph of the Pale Flax (Linum bienne)wild flower found on the grassland dunes of Bull Island, Dublin. Lovely pale flax can be found growing amidst the dry tall grasses on the open sunny dune grassland, reaching a height of 60 cm. The wiry stems are sheathed in small narrow pointed leaves arranged alternately. Each flower has five rounded pale blue petals spread out flatly about 20 mm across. Each petal is prominately veined in a deeper blue. A central blue style rises from the superior ovary and the fruit is a capsule. Pale flax is an ancestor of the cultivated flax used for the linen industry. Flowers: June-August

By kind permission of Dorothy Forde

Enlarge image

PALE FLAX (Linum bienne)

Lovely pale flax can be found growing amidst the dry tall grasses on the open sunny dune grassland, reaching a height of 60 cm. The wiry stems are sheathed in small narrow pointed leaves arranged alternately.

 

Each flower has five rounded pale blue petals spread out flatly about 20 mm across. Each petal is prominently veined in a deeper blue. A central blue style rises from the superior ovary and the fruit is a capsule.

 

Pale flax is an ancestor of the cultivated flax used for the linen industry.

Wild Thyme (Thymus praecox)

Colour photograph of the Wild Thyme (Thymus praecox) wild flower found on the grassland dunes of Bull Island, Dublin. The short creeping wild thyme spreads across the more open dune areas among the mosses and shorter grasses. Its barren prostrate stems root and form a dense mat. Flowering stems angle upwards to a height of 3-7 cm and these are covered in paired dark green oval leaves, smooth-edged and about 8 mm long. Each stem carries a dense head of tiny purple flowers having five petals joined at base. The upper two petals are so closely joined they resemble a two-lobed hood, while the lower three petals are spread out flatly. The flower protrudes from a green hairy calyx tube having three upper pointed teeth and two lower ones. There are four protruding stamens. The nut-like fruit is smooth and splits into four parts containing the unreleased seeds. Flowers: June-August

By kind permission of Dorothy Forde

Wild Thyme (Thymus praecox)
By kind permission of Dorothy Forde

Wild Thyme (Thymus praecox)

Colour photograph of the Wild Thyme (Thymus praecox) wild flower found on the grassland dunes of Bull Island, Dublin. The short creeping wild thyme spreads across the more open dune areas among the mosses and shorter grasses. Its barren prostrate stems root and form a dense mat. Flowering stems angle upwards to a height of 3-7 cm and these are covered in paired dark green oval leaves, smooth-edged and about 8 mm long. Each stem carries a dense head of tiny purple flowers having five petals joined at base. The upper two petals are so closely joined they resemble a two-lobed hood, while the lower three petals are spread out flatly. The flower protrudes from a green hairy calyx tube having three upper pointed teeth and two lower ones. There are four protruding stamens. The nut-like fruit is smooth and splits into four parts containing the unreleased seeds. Flowers: June-August

By kind permission of Dorothy Forde

Enlarge image

WILD THYME (praecox)
 

The short creeping wild thyme spreads across the more open dune areas among the mosses and shorter grasses. Its barren prostrate stems root and form a dense mat.
 

Flowering stems angle upwards to a height of 3-7 cm and these are covered in paired dark green oval leaves, smooth-edged and about 8 mm long.
 

Each stem carries a dense head of tiny purple flowers having five petals joined at base. The upper two petals are so closely joined they resemble a two-lobed hood, while the lower three petals are spread out flatly. The flower protrudes from a green hairy calyx tube having three upper pointed teeth and two lower ones.
 

There are four protruding stamens. The nut-like fruit is smooth and splits into four parts containing the unreleased seeds.
 

Flowers: June-August

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