Linum lewisii

It is a slender herbaceous plant growing to 80 centimetres (31+1⁄2 inches) tall, with spirally arranged narrow lanceolate leaves 1–3 cm (1⁄2–1+1⁄4 in) long. The flowers are pale blue or lavender to white, often veined in darker blue, with five petals 1–1.5 cm long and in varying length styles.^[3][4][5][6] The flowers open in the morning and fade, dropping their petals by noon on hot, sunny days.^[7]

• 
  The inflorescence is a terminal open raceme.^[5]
• 
  A lavender flower
• 
  The spirally arranged lanceolate leaves

The species was named for North American explorer Meriwether Lewis.^[8]

The plant is native to western North America from Alaska south to Baja California, and from the Pacific Coast east to the Mississippi River.^[9] It grows on ridges and dry slopes, from sea level in the north up to 11,000 feet (3,400 metres) in the Sierra Nevada.^[10][11][3]

Blue flax is a durable wildflower in garden conditions, never becoming overly aggressive towards other plants. Plants are easily grown from seed.^[7] Blue flax grows well in lean soils without much organic matter and are healthier in well-drained soils.^[12]