Linum usitatissimum
common flax, cultivated flax, flax-seed, lin cultivé, lin-seed
erect, unbranched or few-branched at base (all flowering).
divergent;
blade linear to linear-lanceolate, 10–40 × 1.5–5 mm.
open panicles.
erect in fruit, to 20–25 mm.
homostylous;
sepals ovate, 6–9 mm, margins of inner sepals minutely ciliate, outer ciliate, apex acuminate;
petals usually blue, rarely white, obovate, 10–15 mm;
stamens 5–7 mm;
anthers 1–1.5 mm;
staminodia present;
styles distinct or connate at base, 3–6 mm;
stigmas linear or clavate.
ovoid to subglobose, 6–10 × 5–10 mm, apex rounded, dehiscing incompletely, segments falling freely, margins ciliate or not.
4–6 × 2.5–3 mm.
= 30.
Linum usitatissimum
Linum usitatissimum has been cultivated since antiquity, and it is this cultivated form that has naturalized in the wild. Flax fibers twisted to make rope or dyed for fabric dated 32,000–26,000 years before present were found in a cave in Dzudzuana, Georgia (E. Kvavadze et al. 2009). Stem fibers of L. usitatissimum are used to make linen; the seeds are pressed to produce linseed oil; the rest of the seeds are compacted into cakes and used as fodder. Linum usitatissimum is the only species in the flora area except L. bienne that has linear stigmas and minutely ciliate inner sepals. It can be distinguished from L. bienne by its larger, apically rounded capsules.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
IL Wildflowers, 
KS Wildflowers, 
LA Plants, 
MD Biodiversity, 
MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
