4O The Flowering Plants of Western India. 



II. DISCIFLOK^E. 



ORDER 23. LINE.E. The flax family. 



Herbs or shrubs, with alternate simple leaves and regular 

 flowers, sepals, petals and stamens usually 5, styles 3 to 5. 



This order outwardly most resembles Caryophyllece, and like Tiliacea 

 is chiefly valuable for its fibres. 



1. LINUM. Herbs; petals twisted deciduous, with 5 glands 

 united to the staminal ring, ovary and capsule 5-celled, 

 styles 5. 



2. EEINWARDTIA. Undershrubs, stamens with 2 or 3 

 glands and alternating staminodes, ovary 3 to 5-celled, styles 

 3 or 4. 



1. LINUM. Flax. 



1. L. nsitatissimum, the common flax plant, cultivated 

 chiefly for the oil throughout India, and in England for the 

 seed, linseed. Alsi, jawas. Supposed to have been first 

 cultivated in Egypt. 



It is one of the prettiest pf crops. " The flax was in full bloom ; 

 it had pretty little blue flowers, as delicate as the wings of a moth, 

 or even more so." Hans Andersen. 



2. L. Mysorense. A small, smooth, branched plant, leaves 

 oblong, blunt, flowers yellow, petals much separated, capsule 

 roundish, ribbed, enclosed in the calyx. Wundri, bdmburti. 



Leaves variable (H.} It has much superficial resemblance to a 

 mustard. Konkan, Deccan, and Ghauts. 



2. KEINWARDTIA. 



R. trigyna. Smooth, leaves lanceolate, flowers bright 

 yellow, handsome, with bracts, sepals much imbricated, capsule 

 size of a pea. Altai. 



Mira hills (D.). Koina Valley (Dr. Cooke). Common in gardens. 



Hugonia. Stamens 10, styles 5, drupe round. 



* H. nystax. A large climbing shrub with tendrils, and with 

 much brown hair, flowers large, pale yellow, leaves ovate entire, 

 Btamena alternately long and short. Malwan taluka 



