50 LINACEiE. 



slender, 1/5 inch. Fruit oval Mby 1/5 inch, fleshy, green, 

 with one stone containing a cell with one matured 

 seed and dried up undeveloped ovules, and two other 

 squashed and aborted cells. Endosperm thick, horny, 

 smelling and tasting strongly of cocoa, t. 38. Wight 

 Ic. t. 205 (Monocera). Bedd. Fl. Sylv. t. 112. 



The leaves turn red, but fall very soon after, so that this colouring is 

 not conspicuous as with E. oblongus. 



In sholas only, very common at high levels, especially on 

 the Pulney downs, where there is hardly a shola without several 

 trees. Nilgiris on Dodabetta. T^j'i??^ 343, 1125, 2205. Bourne 

 799, 2032. 



Not on lower levels and absent entirely from the Bombay Ghats to the 

 north. Apparently confiaed to these South Indian hill-tops. 



LINACE/E. 



Tribe L 

 Small herbs or shmbs with alternate simple leaves, 

 and racemes of regular and symmetrical flowers on the 

 four or five plan. Petals twisted in bud, soon falling. 

 Stamens as many. Carpels dehiscing septicidally. 



LINUM. F.B.I. 29 I. 



Flaxy etc. 



Flowers usually blue, the parts in fives. Sepals 

 entire. Fertile stamens five, alternate with the petals, 

 attached to each other at the base ; staminodes very 

 small ; glands five, attached to the outside of the staminal 

 tube and opposite the petals. Capsule breaking into 

 five two-seeded or ten one-seeded parts. Seeds oily. 

 Leaves quite entire, narrow. 



Species about 90, mostly round the Mediterranean. 



Najned frofn -LinUM, Latin for thread cotton or fiax. The root LIN js 

 one oj the oldest root words hi own. 



Flax the fibre which is spun and woven into linen is obtained from the 

 outer part of the stems of one species 



