''Linum'' (flax) is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of approximately 200 species
[''Linum''.]
The Jepson Manual. in the
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...
family
Linaceae. They are native to
temperate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
and
subtropical regions of the world. The genus includes the
common flax (''L. usitatissimum''), the
bast fibre of which is used to produce
linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...
and the seeds to produce
linseed oil
Linseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil or flax oil (in its edible form), is a colourless to yellowish oil obtained from the dried, ripened seeds of the flax plant (''Linum usitatissimum''). The oil is obtained by Expeller pressing, pressing, some ...
.

The flowers of most species are blue or yellow, rarely red, white, or pink, and some are
heterostylous. There is an average of 6 to 10 seeds per boll.
''Linum'' species are used as food plants by the
larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) 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.
Th ...
e of some
Lepidoptera species including the
cabbage moth
The cabbage moth (''Mamestra brassicae'') is primarily known as a pest that is responsible for severe crop damage of a wide variety of plant species. The common name, cabbage moth, is a misnomer as the species feeds on many fruits, vegetables, ...
,
the nutmeg, the
setaceous Hebrew character
The setaceous Hebrew character (''Xestia c-nigrum'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. It is found in the Palearctic realm. It is a common specie ...
and ''
Coleophora striolatella'', which feeds exclusively on ''
Linum narbonense''.
Cultivation
Several flaxes are cultivated as garden
ornamentals, including the blue-flowered species
blue flax (''L. narbonense''),
Lewis' blue flax (''L. lewisii''), and
perennial blue flax (''L. perenne''), the red-flowered
scarlet flax (''L. grandiflorum''), and the yellow-flowered
golden flax (''L. flavum''). In
Eurasia
Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelag ...
, since Roman times, the genus ''Linum'' has been cultivated not only for its plant fiber, but also its seeds and tender leaves for culinary usage.
Babylonian Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
(''Baba Bathra
Bava Batra (also Baba Batra; Talmudic Aramaic: בָּבָא בַּתְרָא "The Last Gate") is the third of the three Talmudic tractates in the Talmud in the order Nezikin; it deals with a person's responsibilities and rights as the owner of ...
'' 92a, Rashi
Shlomo Yitzchaki ( he, רבי שלמה יצחקי; la, Salomon Isaacides; french: Salomon de Troyes, 22 February 1040 – 13 July 1105), today generally known by the acronym Rashi (see below), was a medieval French rabbi and author of a compr ...
, s.v. ולא צמחו; ''Nedarim
In Judaism, a neder (נדר, plural ''nedarim'') is a kind of vow or oath. The neder may consist of performing some act in the future (either once or regularly) or abstaining from a particular type of activity of the person's choice. The concept o ...
'' 49a), Mishnah
The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Tora ...
('' Peah'' 6:4), Tosefta
The Tosefta ( Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: תוספתא "supplement, addition") is a compilation of the Jewish oral law from the late 2nd century, the period of the Mishnah.
Overview
In many ways, the Tosefta acts as a supplement to the Mishnah ...
(''Ma'aser Rishon'' 3:8)
Selected species
;
*''
Linum africanum''
*''
'' – winged flax
*''
''
*''
Linum alpinum
''Linum alpinum'' is a species of perennial plant belonging to the Linaceae family.
Etymology
The Latin genus name ''Linum'' means ''thread'', where as the species name ''alpinum'' means ''from the Alps''.
Subspecies
Subspecies include:
*''Lin ...
''
*''
Linum arboreum
''Linum arboreum'', called tree flax, evergreen flax and shrubby flax, is a species of '' Linum'' native to Greece, including Crete and the Aegean Islands, and Turkey. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit
The ...
'' – tree flax
*''
Linum arenicola
''Linum arenicola'', known as sand flax, is a flowering plant in the flax family, Linaceae. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where it is considered an endangered species.
References
arenicola
''Arenicola'' is a genus of capi ...
'' – sand flax
*''
'' – bristle flax
*''
'' – southern flax
*''
Linum austriacum
''Linum austriacum'', Asian flax, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Linaceae
Linaceae is a family of flowering plants. The family is cosmopolitan, and includes about 250 species in 14 genera, classified into two subfamili ...
'' – Asian flax
*''
'' – Berlandier's yellow flax
*''
Linum bienne'' (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.Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia – Edagricole – 1982. Vol. II, pag. 22 The short stem is perennial, ...
''
*''
Linum cariense
''Linum cariense'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Linaceae
Linaceae is a family of flowering plants. The family is cosmopolitan, and includes about 250 species in 14 genera, classified into two subfamilies: the Linoideae and Hu ...
''
*''
'' – Carter's flax
*''
Linum catharticum'' – fairy flax
*''
'' – Wyoming flax
*''
Linum cratericola
''Linum cratericola'', the Floreana Flax, is a species of plant in the Linaceae
Linaceae is a family of flowering plants. The family is cosmopolitan, and includes about 250 species in 14 genera, classified into two subfamilies: the Linoideae ...
'' – Galápagos Islands flax
*''
''
*''
'' – Laredo flax
*''
Linum flavum
''Linum flavum'', the golden flax or yellow flax, is a species of flowering plant in the family Linaceae, native to central and southern Europe. It is an erect, woody perennial growing to tall by broad, with dark green, semi-evergreen leaves, ...
'' – golden flax
*''
–'' Florida yellow flax
*''
Linum grandiflorum
''Linum grandiflorum'' is a species of flax known by several common names, including flowering flax, 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 l ...
'' – scarlet flax, flowering flax
*''
'' – downy flax
*''
'' – Texas flax
*''
'' – tufted flax
*''
Linum intercursum'' – sandplain flax
*''
Linum kingii'' – King's flax
*''
Linum leoni''
*''
Linum lewisii
''Linum lewisii'' (''Linum perenne'' var. ''lewisii'') (Lewis flax, blue flax or prairie flax) 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 ...
'' – Lewis' blue flax, Lewis flax
*

''
'' – Sullivan City flax
*''
Linum macrocarpum'' – Spring Hill flax
*''
Linum marginale
''Linum marginale'', commonly known as native flax or wild flax, is a species of flowering plant in the family Linaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a perennial herb with few branches, linear leaves, and blue flowers with five usually b ...
'' – Australian native flax
*''
Linum medium
''Linum medium'', common name stiff yellow flax, is a species of '' Linum'' (flax) native to eastern North America. It is found as far west as Texas and Wisconsin, east to the Atlantic ocean, north to Ontario and Maine, and south to southern Flor ...
'' – stiff yellow flax
*''
Linum monogynum'' – New Zealand linen flax
*''
Linum narbonense'' – blue flax
*''
'' – New Mexico yellow flax
*''
Linum perenne
''Linum perenne'', the perennial flax, blue flax or lint, is a flowering plant in the family Linaceae, native to Europe, primarily in the Alps and locally in England. It has been introduced into North America, where it can be found on mountain r ...
'' – perennial blue flax
*''
Linum pratense
''Linum pratense'', commonly called meadow flax, is a species of flowering plant in the flax family (Linaceae
Linaceae is a family of flowering plants. The family is cosmopolitan, and includes about 250 species in 14 genera, classified into tw ...
'' – meadow flax
*''
Linum puberulum'' – plains flax
*''
Linum pubescens
''Linum pubescens'', the hairy pink flax, is an herbaceous flowering plant in the genus ''Linum
''Linum'' (flax) is a genus of approximately 200 species[Linum rigidum
''Linum'' (flax) is a genus of approximately 200 species][''Linum''.]
The Jepson Manual. ...
'' -– stiffstem flax
*''
'' – rock flax
*''
'' – Schiede's flax
*''
Linum strictum
''Linum strictum'', commonly known as rigid flax, upright flax, and upright yellow flax, is a species of flax that has a rigid stem, from whence it derives its taxonomic name, growing to a height of 10–45 cm. The plant is endemic to the Medite ...
'' – ridged yellow flax
*''
'' – Sprucemont flax, slenderfoot flax
*''
Linum suffruticosum
''Linum suffruticosum'', the white flax or Pyrenean flax, is a species of flowering plant in the family Linaceae
Linaceae is a family of flowering plants. The family is cosmopolitan, and includes about 250 species in 14 genera, classified into ...
''
*''
Linum sulcatum
Linum sulcatum, common names yellow flax, grooved yellow flax, grooved flax, and yellow wild flax is a plant native to the United States and Canada.
Conservation status in the United States
It is listed as endangered in Connecticut, '' – grooved flax
*''
''
*''
Linum trigynum'' – French flax
*''
Linum ucranicum
''Linum ucranicum'' is a species of flowering plant in the flax genus '' Linum'', family Linaceae
Linaceae is a family of flowering plants. The family is cosmopolitan, and includes about 250 species in 14 genera, classified into two subfamilie ...
''
*''
Linum usitatissimum'' – common cultivated flax
*''
'' – Chihuahuan flax
*''
Linum virginianum'' – woodland flax
*''
Linum westii'' – West's flax
References
External links
IPNI Query''Linum lepagei'' type sheetfrom Louis-Marie Herbarium (
Laval University
Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of:
People
* House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne
* Laval (surname)
Places Belgium
* Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Lux ...
).
The Flax Council of Canada
{{Taxonbar, from=Q161100
Malpighiales genera