566 ORD. XXXII. Gruinales. 
LINUM USITATISSIMUM. | COMMON FLAX, 
a  _ _  ___ —_—-——_-—— 
SYNONYMA. Linum. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. Linum arvense. 
Bauh. Pin. p. 214. Linum sativum. Gerard, Emac. p. 556. 
Park. Theat. p. 1335. Raii Hist.’p. 1072. Synop. p. 362. 
Linum. J. Bauh. Hist. iti. p. 451. Hall. Stirp. Helv. n. 836. 
L. usitatissimum. Huds. Flor. Ang. p. 133. Withering. Bot. 
Arrang. p. 328. Curt. Flor. Lond. Aww Dioscor. L. 2. c..125. 
Theoph. 8. Hist. 7. 
Class Pentandria, Ord. Pentagynia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 389. 
Ess. Gen. Ch. Cal. 5-phyllus.. Petala 5. Caps. 5-valvis, 10-locu- 
laris. Sem. solitaria. 
Sp. Ch. L. calycibus capsulisque mucronatis, petalis crenatis, foliis 
lanceolatis alternis, caule subsolitario. 
THE root is annual: the stalk is erect, round, smooth, branched 
towards the top, and rises about a foot and a half in height:* the 
branches are simple, alternate, and terminated by the flowers, which 
are solitary, and of asky-blue colour: the leaves are lance-shaped, 
acute, sessile, smooth, glaucous, vertical, and alternately scattered 
over the stalk and branches: the calyx is divided into five segments, 
which are semi-lance-shaped, pointed, and slightly fringed with 
small hairs: the corolla is funnel-shaped, consisting of five petals, 
which are large, obovate, striated, and minutely scolloped at their 
extremities: the filaments are five, tapering, upright, about the 
length of the calyx, united at the base, and crowned with simple 
anthere : the germen is oval: the five styles are filiform, erect, of 
the length of the filaments, and furnished with blunt stigmata: 
* It is remarked by Haselquist, that in Egypt this plant rises with a strong stem 
to the height of four feet, Resa til hel. Landet. p. 462. 
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