Virginia Yellow Flax

Linum virginianum

Found in dry or moist places. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

Good

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height: Up to about 2.5 feet
Light: Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to moist

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At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Bloom: June to October

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 76 Virginia counties.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

16CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Linum

Anarta trifoliiThe Nutmeg, Clover Cutworm
Anticarsia gemmatalisVelvetbean Caterpillar Moth
Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
Euptoieta claudiaVariegated Fritillary, (?)Gulf Fritillary
Euxoa tessellataTessellate Dart, Striped Cutworm
Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
Feltia subgothicaSubgothic Dart
Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth

Show all 16

Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
Paleacrita vernataSpring Cankerworm Moth
Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

0BeesSoutheastern regional records

0Specialist beesPollen specialists

3BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Linum

Antigone canadensisSandhill Crane
Tympanuchus pallidicinctusLesser Prairie-Chicken
Tympanuchus phasianellusSharp-tailed Grouse

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Linaceae
Soil pH: Neutral
Flower color: Yellow

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “June to October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Yellow” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Height · “Up to about 2.5 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
primary_flower_color · “yellow” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Soil pH · “Neutral” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Also known as

Linum virginianum var. virginianum; Woodland Flax

Conservation status

Virginia rank	S4S5
Global rank	G4G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Virginia Yellow Flax

At a glance

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

More Linum