Linum is a
genusIn biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of approximately 200 species in the
flowering plantThe flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
family
LinaceaeThe Linaceae is a family of flowering plants. The family is cosmopolitan, and includes approximately 250 species. There are 14 genera, classified into two subfamilies: Linoideae and Hugonioideae ....
, native to temperate and
subtropicalThe subtropics are the geographical and climatical zone of the Earth immediately north and south of the tropical zone, which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, at latitudes 23.5°N and 23.5°S...
regions of the world. It includes the
Common FlaxFlax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
(
L. usitatissimum), the
bast fibreBast fibre or skin fibre is plant fibre collected from the phloem or bast surrounding the stem of certain, mainly dicotyledonous, plants. They support the conductive cells of the phloem and provide strength to the stem...
of which is used to produce
linenLinen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
and the seeds to produce
linseed oilLinseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil, is a clear to yellowish oil obtained from the dried ripe seeds of the flax plant . The oil is obtained by cold pressing, sometimes followed by solvent extraction...
.
The flowers of most species are blue or yellow, rarely red, white, or pink, and some are heterostylous. There is an average of 6-10 seeds per boll.
Linum species are used as food plants by the
larvaA larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of some
LepidopteraLepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including
Cabbage MothNote: the Small White species of butterfly is commonly called a "cabbage moth" in North America.The Cabbage Moth is a common European moth of the family Noctuidae....
,
The NutmegThe nutmeg , also known as the clover cutworm, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found throughout Europe although in the north of its range it is a summer migrant, not being able to survive the cold winters.This is a small to medium species with cryptically coloured forewings, varying from...
,
Setaceous Hebrew CharacterThe Setaceous Hebrew Character is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in the Palearctic ecozone. It is a common species throughout Europe. It is also found in North America, from coast to coast across Canada and the northern United States to western Alaska. It occurs in the Rocky Mountains...
and
Coleophora benedictellaColeophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions...
, which feeds exclusively on
Linum narbonense.
Cultivation
Several flaxes are cultivated as garden ornamentals, including the blue-flowered species
Linum lewisiiLinum lewisii is a perennial plant in the family Linaceae, native to western North America from Alaska south to Baja California, and from the Pacific Coast east to the Mississippi River...
,
L. perenne, and
L. narbonense, red-flowered
L. grandiflorum, and yellow-flowered
L. flavum.
Selected species
- Linum austriacum
- Linum bienne
Linum bienne is a flowering plant in the genus Linum, native to the Mediterranean region and western Europe, north to England and Ireland....
(syn. L. angustifolium) – Pale Flax
- Linum campanulatum
Linum campanulatum is a perennial plant belonging to the Linaceae family.-Description:Linum campanulatum reaches on average in height. The short stem is perennial, woody and glabrous, with long herbaceous annual branches. Leaves are alternate, up to 4 cm long and 1 cm wide. The shape of lower...
- Linum catharticum
Linum catharticum or Fairy Flax is an herbaceous flowering plant in the genus Linum, native to central Europe and Western Asia. The plant is annual and blooms in July and August....
– Fairy Flax
- Linum cratericola
Linum cratericola is a species of plant in the Linaceae family. It is endemic to Ecuador.-Source:* Mauchamp, A. et al. 2000. . Downloaded on 22 August 2007....
- Galapagos Islands Flax
- Linum flavum - Golden Flax
- Linum grandiflorum
Linum grandiflorum is a species of flax known by several common names, including red flax, scarlet flax, and crimson flax. It is native to Algeria, but it is known elsewhere in Northern Africa, Southern Europe and in several locations in North America as an introduced species...
– Scarlet Flax
- Linum leoni
- Linum lewisii
Linum lewisii is a perennial plant in the family Linaceae, native to western North America from Alaska south to Baja California, and from the Pacific Coast east to the Mississippi River...
- Lewis' Blue Flax
- Linum marginale
Linum marginale, known by the common name of Native Flax or Australian Flax, is a short lived perennial flowering herb, native to Australia. A slender, wispy, upright plant, growing to around 1 metre high, Native Flax is often overlooked when not in flower. It should not be confused with species of...
- Australian Native Flax
- Linum medium
Linum medium is a species of Linum native to eastern North America, as far west as Texas and Wisconsin, east to the Atlantic ocean, and north to Ontario and Maine. It is one of several yellow-flowered Linum species in this region; others include Linum virginianum....
- Linum narbonense
Linum narbonense , is a flowering plant in the family Linaceae, native to Europe, and similar in appearance to Linum perenne....
- Blue Flax
- Linum perenne
Linum perenne , is a flowering plant in the family Linaceae, native to Europe, primarily in the Alps, but also locally in England....
– Perennial Blue Flax
- Linum puberulum
Linum puberulum is a species of flax known by the common name plains flax. It is native to the western and midwestern United States from California to Nebraska to Texas, where it grows in dry, open habitat including desert, semi-desert, hills and low mountains...
– Plains Flax
- Linum pubescens
Linum pubescens is an herbaceous flowering plant in the genus Linum native to the east Mediterranean region.The plant is annual and blooms in the spring....
- Linum suffruticosum
- Linum tenuifolium
- Linum dolomiticum
- Linum usitatissimum
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
– Common Cultivated Flax
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