Graceful False Flax

Mediterranean region.

Egypt, south and central  Europe, Syria, Turkey, Iran to Afghanistan.

Cultivated plots.

Annual.

Vasilcenko (in Kom., l.c. 598) considered Camelina rumelica Velen. (Fl. Bulg. 43. 1891, not the above ref.) conspecific with Camelina albiflora (Kotschy ex Boiss.) N. Busch (F1. Cauc. Crit. 3, 4: 391. 1909; Camelina sylvestris Walir. var. albiflora Kotschy ex Boiss., fl. Or. 1: 312. 1867.), which has pyriform siliculae on ascending thickened pedicels.

Annual, (15-) 20-50 (-60) cm tall, simple or slightly branched from the base, scabrid or hispid below with simple, ciliate, white hairs, almost glabrous above. Basal leaves rosulate, oblong or lanceolate, irregularly dentate to entire; upper leaves oblong, sagittate-amplexicaul, acute, entire or toothed. Racemes many flowered, lax and elongated in fruit. Flowers c. 6 mm across, pale yellow or yellowish-white; pedicels very variable in length, usually 7-10 mm long (rarely less than 7 mm or more than 10 mm, very rarely up to 22 mm long), slightly thickened, spreading. Sepals c. 3.5 mm long, usually with long simple hairs. Petals 6-7 mm long, 1.5-2 mm broad, scarcely clawed. Stamens c. 3: 4 mm long. Siliculae obovate, 6-8 mm long, 4-5 mm broad, glabrous, horizontally spreading; style c. 2 (-3) mm long with a capitate stigma; seeds 9-10 in each locule, c. 1 (-1.5) mm long.

Distribution: Europe, C. & S.W. Asia, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Fl. Per.: March-May.