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Linaceae is a
family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
of
flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
s. The family is cosmopolitan, and includes about 250 species in 14 genera, classified into two subfamilies: the Linoideae and Hugonioideae.


Description

The leaves of the Linaceae are always simple; arrangement varies from alternate (most species) to opposite (in '' Sclerolinon'' and some '' Linum'') or whorled (in some '' Hesperolinon'' and '' Linum'' species). The hermaphroditic, actinomorphic flowers are pentameric or, very rarely, tetrameric (e.g., '' Radiola linoides'', '' Linum keniense'').


Taxonomy

Under the old
Cronquist system The Cronquist system is a list of systems of plant taxonomy, taxonomic classification system of angiosperms, flowering plants. It was developed by Arthur Cronquist in a series of monographs and texts, including ''The Evolution and Classification of ...
of classifying the flowering plants, the Linaceae were placed in their own order, the Linales. Modern classifications place them in the order Malpighiales. In addition to their growth habits and geographic distributions, the two subfamilies can be differentiated by the number of fertile stamens (five in the Linoideae, ten in the Hugonioideae) and fruit type (capsules in the Linoideae, fleshy drupe-like fruits in the Hugonioideae).


Subfamily Linoideae

The largest genus of the Linoideae is '' Linum'', the flaxes, with 180–200 species including the cultivated
flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...
, ''L. usitatissimum''. Members of the Linoideae include herbaceous annuals and perennials, as well as woody subshrubs, shrubs, and small trees ('' Tirpitzia'') inhabiting temperate and tropical latitudes of Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. *'' Anisadenia'' Wall. ex Meisn. (2 sp.) *'' Hesperolinon'' (Gray) Small (13 sp.) *'' Linum'' L. (approximately 200 species) *'' Radiola'' Hill (1 sp.) *'' Reinwardtia'' Dumort. (1 sp.) *'' Sclerolinon'' C.M.Rogers (1 sp.) *'' Tirpitzia'' Hallier f. (3 sp.) Formerly included: ''Cliococca'' (synonym of ''Linum'' L.)


Subfamily Hugonioideae

The Hugonioideae subfamily is often recognized as a distinct family, the Hugoniaceae. The largest genus of the Hugonioideae is ''Hugonia'' (about 40 species); the Hugonioideae are woody vines, shrubs, and trees, and are almost entirely tropical in distribution. *'' Hebepetalum'' Benth. (3 sp.) *''
Hugonia ''Hugonia'' is a genus of plant in the family Linaceae. The genus was named by Linnaeus after Augustus Johann von Hugo (1686-1760) of Hannover. Species include: * ''Hugonia deplanchei'' * ''Hugonia jenkinsii'' * ''Hugonia macrophylla'' Daniel O ...
'' l. (6 sp.) *'' Indorouchera'' Hallier f. (1 sp.) *'' Roucheria'' Planch. (7 sp.) Formerly included: ''Durandea'' (synonym of Hugonia L.) and ''Philbornea'' (synonym of Hugonia L.)


References


External links

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Linaceae in Topwalks




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{{Authority control Malpighiales families