Lewis’ Wild Blue Flax

Linum lewisii

Pollinator Value

❄️ Winter Food Source: Seeds consumed by Lesser Prairie-Chicken (20.6% occurrence in diet), Sharp-tailed Grouse (20.2% occurrence, 11.8% by volume), and Sandhill Crane (1.3% by volume). Small, persistent capsules retain seeds into winter, providing forage for ground-feeding prairie birds.
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Proximity Score: 4
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ❌ ON
Closest Direction: W
CEC Eco-Regions: 9 – Great Plains, 9.3 – West Central Semi-Arid Prairies, 9.3.4 – Nebraska Sand Hills
Rarity Notes: Ranked S2 (Imperiled) in Ontario with records restricted to the western James Bay and Hudson Bay coastlines. Not listed under SARA. VASCAN lists the species as excluded from both Ontario and Quebec, though NatureServe lists it as native to Ontario. Nationally ranked N5 in Canada, globally G5, reflecting its abundance across western provinces.
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Rarity Ranks: QC SNA – Not Applicable, ON S2 – Imperiled
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: Lewis flax is a prairie and open woodland species of western North America, ranging from Alaska and subarctic Canada south to northern Mexico. It grows on dry, well-drained sites including grasslands, sagebrush steppe, open pine forests, and rocky slopes. In Ontario, it is rare and imperiled (S2), with records limited to the James Bay coast and Hudson Bay lowlands on sandy beach ridges and calcareous substrates.
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Roles: Insectary Plant, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Insectary Plant: S64 NPPBI 'beneficial insects' flag] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]
Notes: Listed as a complementary planting partner in prairie and meadow gardens. Its slender, airy habit provides textural contrast with broad-leaved forbs. Attracts beneficial insects including small bees and flies as pollinators, functioning as an insectary plant in diverse prairie plantings.
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Category: Analgesic, Carminative, Dermatological Aid, Disinfectant, Eye Medicine, Gastrointestinal Aid, Pediatric Aid
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Notes: Extensively used across multiple Indigenous nations. Gosiute and Paiute used poultices for bruises and swellings. Paiute used infusions as eyewash and for stomach disorders. Navajo (Kayenta) used the plant for headaches and as a fumigant. Navajo (Ramah) took leaf decoctions for heartburn. Okanagon used infusions of flowers, leaves, and stems as a skin and hair wash for young women.
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✅ Edible

Foraging Notes: Seeds used by Dakota, Omaha, Pawnee, and Ponca peoples in cooking for nutritive value and agreeable flavor. Dakota also used seeds to flavor animal feed. Seeds are small but oil-rich, similar to cultivated flax (L. usitatissimum).
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