View source for Linum

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}}
{{About||the town of ancient Mysia|Linum (Mysia)|the town in Germany|Linum (village)}}
{{Automatic taxobox
|image = Linum_pubescens.jpg
|image_caption = ''[[Linum pubescens]]''
|taxon = Linum
|authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
|subdivision_ranks = Species
|subdivision = about 200, see text
}}

'''''Linum''''' ('''flax''') is a [[genus]] of approximately 200 species<ref name=jeps>[http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4965,4980 ''Linum''.] The Jepson Manual.</ref><ref>Muravenko, O. V., et al. (2010). [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S1022795410100091#page-1 Karyogenomics of species of the genus ''Linum'' L.] ''Russian Journal of Genetics'' 46(10), 1182-85.</ref> in the [[flowering plant]] family [[Linaceae]]. They are native to [[Temperateness|temperate]] and [[Subtropics|subtropical]] regions of the world. The genus includes the [[flax|common flax]] (''L. usitatissimum''), the [[bast fibre]] of which is used to produce [[linen]] and the seeds to produce [[linseed oil]].
[[File:Linum narbonense flor.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Linum narbonense]]'']]
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]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species including the [[cabbage moth]], [[nutmeg (moth)|the nutmeg]], the [[setaceous Hebrew character]] and ''[[Coleophora striolatella]]'', which feeds exclusively on ''[[Linum narbonense]]''.

== Cultivation ==
Several flaxes are cultivated as garden [[ornamental plant|ornamentals]], including the blue-flowered species [[Linum narbonense|blue flax]] (''L. narbonense''), [[Linum lewisii|Lewis' blue flax]] (''L. lewisii''), and [[Linum perenne|perennial blue flax]] (''L. perenne''), the red-flowered [[Linum grandiflorum|scarlet flax]] (''L. grandiflorum''), and the yellow-flowered [[Linum flavum|golden flax]] (''L. flavum''). In [[Eurasia]], since Roman times, the genus ''Linum'' has been cultivated not only for its [[Fiber crop|plant fiber]], but also its seeds and tender leaves for culinary usage.<ref>[[Babylonian Talmud]] (''[[Baba Bathra]]'' 92a, [[Rashi]], s.v. ולא צמחו; ''[[Nedarim (tractate)|Nedarim]]'' 49a), [[Mishnah]] (''[[Peah]]'' 6:4), [[Tosefta]] (''Ma'aser Rishon'' 3:8)</ref>

== Selected species ==
{{Main|List of Linum species|l1=List of ''Linum'' species}}
;
*''[[Linum africanum]]''
*''[[Linum alatum]]'' – winged flax
*''[[Linum album]]''
*''[[Linum alpinum]]''
*''[[Linum arboreum]]'' – tree flax
*''[[Linum arenicola]]'' – sand flax
*''[[Linum aristatum]]'' – bristle flax
*''[[Linum australe]]'' – southern flax
*''[[Linum austriacum]]'' – Asian flax
*''[[Linum berlandieri]]'' – Berlandier's yellow flax
*''[[Linum bienne]]'' (syn. ''L. angustifolium'') – pale flax
*''[[Linum campanulatum]]''
*''[[Linum cariense]]''
*''[[Linum carteri]]'' – Carter's flax
*''[[Linum catharticum]]'' – fairy flax
*''[[Linum compactum]]'' – Wyoming flax
*''[[Linum cratericola]]'' – Galápagos Islands flax
*''[[Linum dolomiticum]] –'' Dolomite Flax
*''[[Linum elongatum]]'' – Laredo flax
*''[[Linum flavum]]'' – golden flax
*''[[Linum floridanum]] –'' Florida yellow flax
*''[[Linum grandiflorum]]'' – scarlet flax, flowering flax
*''[[Linum hirsutum]]'' – downy flax
*''[[Linum hudsonioides]]'' – Texas flax
*''[[Linum imbricatum]]'' – tufted flax
*''[[Linum intercursum]]'' – sandplain flax
*''[[Linum kingii]]'' – King's flax
*''[[Linum leoni]]''
*''[[Linum lewisii]]'' – Lewis' blue flax, Lewis flax
*[[File:Flax flowers.jpg|thumb|[[Flax|''Linum usitatissimum'']]]]''[[Linum lundellii]]'' – Sullivan City flax
*''[[Linum macrocarpum]]'' – Spring Hill flax
*''[[Linum marginale]]'' – Australian native flax
*''[[Linum medium]]'' – stiff yellow flax
*''[[Linum monogynum]]'' – New Zealand linen flax
*''[[Linum narbonense]]'' – blue flax
*''[[Linum neomexicanum]]'' – New Mexico yellow flax
*''[[Linum perenne]]'' – perennial blue flax
*''[[Linum pratense]]'' – meadow flax
*''[[Linum puberulum]]'' – plains flax
*''[[Linum pubescens]]''
*''[[Linum rigidum]]'' -– stiffstem flax
*''[[Linum rupestre]]'' – rock flax
*''[[Linum schiedeanum]]'' – Schiede's flax
*''[[Linum strictum]]'' – ridged yellow flax
*''[[Linum subteres]]'' – Sprucemont flax, slenderfoot flax
*''[[Linum suffruticosum]]''
*''[[Linum sulcatum]]'' – grooved flax
*''[[Linum tenuifolium]]''
*''[[Linum trigynum]]'' – French flax
*''[[Linum ucranicum]]''
*''[[Flax|Linum usitatissimum]]'' – common cultivated flax
*''[[Linum vernal]]'' – Chihuahuan flax
*''[[Linum virginianum]]'' – woodland flax
*''[[Linum westii]]'' – West's flax

== See also ==

* [[Hesperolinon]]
* [[Sclerolinon]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Linum}}
*[http://www.ipni.org/ipni/plantsearch?find_wholeName=&find_family=&find_infrafamily=&find_genus=linum&find_infragenus=&find_isAPNIRecord=on&find_species=&find_infraspecies=&find_isGCIRecord=on&find_authorAbbrev=&find_publicationTitle=&find_isIKRecord=on&find_rankToReturn=all&output_format=normal&find_includePublicationAuthors=on&find_includePublicationAuthors=off&find_includeBasionymAuthors=on&find_includeBasionymAuthors=off&find_sortByFamily=on&find_sortByFamily=off&query_type=by_query&back_page=query_ipni.html IPNI Query]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110706210723/http://www.herbier.ulaval.ca/specimens_types/template.php?pid=0028026 ''Linum lepagei'' type sheet] from Louis-Marie Herbarium ([[Laval University]]).
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090420235016/http://www.flaxcouncil.ca/english/index.jsp The Flax Council of Canada]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q161100}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Linum| ]]
[[Category:Malpighiales genera]]