Linum mysurense Heyne [in Wallich, Cat. No. 1507. 1828, nom. nud.] ex Benth. in Lindley Bot. Reg. 16: sub t. 1326. 1830; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 1: 411. 1874.

Kan.: Undri.

Herbs annual, erect, 10 - 50 cm high, usually branched above, glabrous. Leaves 10 - 20 x 3 - 8 mm, oblong-elliptic or obovate or linear-ovate, tapering acute or obtuse at base, mucronate at apex, glabrous, 3-nerved. Flowers yellow, ca 3.5 mm across, solitary or in panicled corymbs; pedicels 2 - 5 mm long. Sepals 5, ca 3 mm long, elliptic-lanceolate, ovate or obovate, apiculate, scarious laterally, membranous, finely serrulate towards apex, glabrous, 3-nerved. Petals yellow, ca 5 mm long, obovate or orbicular, acute at base, rounded at apex. Stamens 5, connate at base; filaments dilated below. Ovary ca 2 mm long; glabrous; styles 2, connate at base. Capsules ca 3 mm long, globose, shortly apiculate, surrounded at base by persistent sepals. Seeds 10, elliptic, somewhat compressed.

Fl. & Fr. Sept. - Jan.

Distrib. India: Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Sri Lanka.

Notes. This species is reported to be a collateral host, of Melampsora lini (Shrenk.) Lev., a serious rust on linseed plant in India.