Background:

Three species in the Linum schiedeanum complex are particularly notable for their close morphological similarities, which complicates taxonomic identification. However, variations in the environmental factors that influence species distribution have provided evidence to distinguish between taxa, aiding in their accurate classification.

Hypotheses:

Due to the morphological similarity between the three Linum species, their ecological niches are expected to be similar, but not equivalent, due to adaptations to different environments.

Studied species:

Linum guatemalense, Linum mexicanum, Linum orizabae.

Study site:

Mexico and Central America.

Methods:

Occurrences records of the three Linum species were used to model their distribution and calculate the overlap, similarity, and equivalence of their ecological niches.

Results:

Species distribution is primarily influenced by temperature and precipitation variables related to elevation. Mexican species share geographic and environmental space, showing significant similarity, overlap, and equivalence in their niches. Linum guatemalense displayed a parapatric distribution concerning the Mexican species, sharing part of its distribution with L. mexicanum. This species showed similarity, but not ecological niche equivalence, with the other flax species evaluated, with which it had low overlap.

Conclusions:

The results support the species status of L. guatemalense. However, the evidence indicates that L. mexicanum and L. orizabae might belong to the same taxon. To ensure accurate classification, particularly of the Mexican species, it is important to incorporate other lines of evidence, such as molecular data.

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