Linum

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Linum (flax) is a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the family Linaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Among many other species, it includes the Common Flax (L. usitatissimum), the bast fibre of which is used to produce linen.

The flowers are light blue or white (yellow in some species) and there is an average of 6-10 seeds per boll.

Linum species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Cabbage Moth, The Nutmeg, Setaceous Hebrew Character and Coleophora benedictella, which feeds exclusively on Linum narbonense.Selected species

• Linum austriacum
• Linum bienne – Pale Flax
• Linum catharticum – Fairy Flax
• Linum flavum – Yellow Flax
• Linum leoni
• Linum lewisii
• Linum perenne – Perennial Flax
• Linum pubescens
• Linum suffruticosum
• Linum tenuifolium
• Linum usitatissimum – Common Flax

External links

• Jepson Manual treatment of the genus
• IPNI Query
• Linum lepagei type sheet from Louis-Marie Herbarium (Laval University).
• The Flax Council of Canada

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Last updated on Saturday March 08, 2008 at 09:32:53 PST (GMT -0800)
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