THE ART ALBUM UF NEW ZEALAND FLORA. 



1. LIXLM .MONOGYNUM {Fur^^f.) Tlic Ono-styletl Flax. 



Specific I'iiahacter. — A pciviiMinl. mri.ihli' lu rli. smiu- ' lihie, verv vnrialilo in ^izc. SepuU, ovak-lunccolalo, aciile. 

 linio* wooilv at the luise, siniplo or braiiclu'il, (J 12 in. Iii^li. Styles united, tlieir free tips rccunod. Capsule, globose, of 10 



eroet or decumbent. Leaves, i 1 in. long, oblong-linear or I vom. Ihiiidliook nf the Srir Zeiiland Flora, p.^j. 



linear-subulale, 1 -3-nerved. Flower> numerous, white or pale I 



Description, etc.— Fi-. 2, I'latc No. l.j.— The "RAUHUIA" or " KAHO.' — 

 Tills interesting little jilant is common, especially on roclvv coasts, throughout hoth 

 Islands, and ascends 2,000 feel in tlie mountains of Canterhury. It is likewise 

 indigenous to the Chatham Islands. Two varieties ai*e named, the one {grandijloriiii/) 

 Ix'ing erect and branched, Avith numerous floAvers one-half to ont^ inch across ; whilst the 

 other {dij/'iis/nn) is decumbent, Avith fcAA" floAAcrs, one-quarter to half an inch in 

 diameter. Our plate represents a iigure of the erect A-ariety, a Aery chaste and beautiful 

 plant. The Linum family has l)een largely introduced into British gardens, and all 

 possess handsome flowers of various hues and colours — white, yelloAv, blue, rose and 

 jiarti-colour. L. narbonensc, a native of Spain, is said to be the most beautifid of the 

 species, and L. usitotlssimum the most useful. The latter is only knoAAn at the pi-esent 

 day as a cultivated ])lant, or as occurring in a semi-wild state in places Avhere it has 

 escaped from cultivation. In some parts of NeAV Zealand it is frequently to be seen by 

 the road-sides and in the ditches asserting its right to domicile. Being a hardy plant, 

 wlien once located it spreads quickly. History tells us that this species has from time 

 immemorial been cultiAated for its tenacious fibre, it being one of those plants which the 

 wants of man early taught him to use. The Bible atfords us ample jn-oof of the 

 antiquity of the use of flax as a material for AA'eaving cloth, and the long period during 

 Avhich it has been an object of culture has, doubtless, as in other known instances, so 

 altered the ajipearauce of the plant that it is not recognizable in its original form, if such 

 exists at the present day. Microscopists have proved that the cloth used by the ancient 

 Egyptians for Avi-apping round mummies, the antiquity of AAliich is undeniable, was made 

 of flax. Flax and linen formed an article of commerce betAveen the ancient Egyptians 

 and Greeks. The plant was also cultivated by the early Romans ; but, as their clothing 

 was chiefly made of wool, it did not find much favour. In modern times the culture of 

 flax is widely spread in the Northern Hemisphere, extending from the tropics of India 

 and Egypt to tbe northern parts of Europe. Besides the fibre of the flax plant, its oily 

 seeds, knoAAn as linseed, are a commercial article. The finest kind of oil is the product 

 of simple pressure, and is called " cold draAAU ; " but the ordinary kind is obtained by 

 breaking up, beating, and re-pressing the cake left after the last process. It is a non- 

 drying oil ; but, by boiling Avith sugar of lead, red lead, or Avhite vitirol, it is converted 

 into a drying oil fit for the use of painters. The cake is greatly valued by agriculturalists 



