Just the flax, ma'am.

After about 16 months, and a lot of pestering of different people, I finally have a positive ID on one of the most winsome, diminutive periwinkle-blue flowered weeds I have ever seen.  I had consulted many books and scoured the internet trying to identify this mystery weed, that has grown the last two years in a ditch alongside a neighbours property, but to no avail.  Then a friend suggested I contact John Roncoroni at the UC Davis extension in Napa.  Mr. Roncoroni who is a Weed Science Farm Advisor couldn't help directly, but was kind enough to forward my email on to two wildflower experts at UC Davis:  Ellen Dean and Joe DiTomaso.  Mr. DiTomaso co-wrote Weeds Of California and Other Western States (UC Publication 3488), which is the book on all things weedy in my opinion. Within 45 minutes, Ms. Dean had emailed back myself and Mr. Roncoroni with the ID of this elusive wildflower, which turned out to be not so wild after all - common flax.
Lincum usitatissimum is an annual plant with slender stems arching from a main stem that can reach up to 3 feet in height.  Of the Linaceae family, flax is a widely cultivated plant whose fibres are used in textile production.  High concentrations of Omega 3 fatty acids in flax seed make the plant beneficial to human health and linseed oil extracted from the seed can be useful to carpenters. Flax seed is also widely integrated into animal feeds, which may explain the fact that I found the plant growing in a ditch next to a horse barn.  So flax is a bit of a multi-tasker - apparently Usitatissimum means very useful.
So there you have it.  No more sleepless nights for me spent worrying over this little plant's name (I really need to get a life), thanks to Roncoroni and Dean. The plant itself has now gone to seed. I am hoping it will make a reapperance, same time, same place, next year.  Cute flower.