LINAGES 113 



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LINAGES 



Herbs or under-shrubs with entire, alternate leaves, no stipules, 

 and regular flowers. Sepals 5, rarely fewer, distinct or united at 

 the base. Petals 4 or 5, twisted in the bud. Stamens usually 10, 

 usually free. Styles 5, rarely fewer. Ovary with as many cells 

 as styles. Ovules I or 2 in each cell. 



A small family widely spread over the globe. 



LINUM L. Flax. 



Sepals, petals, and stamens 5. Cells of the capsule 5, -though 

 apparently 10, each being divided into two by a nearly complete 

 partition. 



A rather large genus, particularly abundant in the Mediterranean 

 region and Western Asia. 



Linum alpinum Jacq. 



Rootstock woody. Stem glabrous like the whole plant, few- 

 flowered. Leaves linear-lanceolate. Flowers large ; petals azure 

 blue, obovate. Sepals ovate, shortly mucronate, shorter than the 

 capsule. 



Stony places in calcareous Alps. June, July. 



Distribution. Carpathians, Eastern, Central, and Western Alps, 

 Jura, and in many parts of hilly France ; Western Asia. 



Linum tenuifolium L. (Plate III.) 



Rootstock rather woody. Stem a foot high, downy below. 

 Leaves linear, acute, rough at the edges. Sepals lanceolate, 

 acuminate, subulate, glandular-ciliate, longer than the capsule. 

 Petals lilac or rose, obovate, shortly acuminate. 



Dry stony places in the hills and sub-alps. May to July. 



Distribution. Central and Southern Europe ; Western Asia ; 

 Algeria. 



Linum viscosum L. 



A downy, glandular flax, with thick root. Stems 1-2 feet high, 

 erect. Leaves velvety, oblong-lanceolate, entire, with 3-5 nerves. 

 Flowers rose or rose-lilac, large and handsome, in long corymbs, 

 sub-sessile. Sepals oval-acuminate, ciliate, glandular, 3-nerved. 

 Petals 3 times longer than the sepals, veined with violet. Capsule 

 globular- apicula t e . 



Meadows and pastures in the hills and sub-Alps. May to July. 



Distribution. Maritime Alps, Liguria, Pyrenees, N. Italy, Spain, 

 Portugal, Austria, Southern Germany. 



Linum salsoloides Lamk. 



Woody stock, stems about a foot high, downy above. Leaves 

 very close together below, linear, stiff, i-nerved. Flowers rose or 

 flesh-coloured, pedicelled. Sepals oval-lanceolate, acuminate, 



