148 THE FLAX FAMILY. 



XVII. THE FLAX FAMILY, LINACE^. 



Herbs or undershrubs, with entire leaves, no stipules, and re- 

 gular flowers. Sepals 5, rarely fewer, overlapping each other in 

 the bud, rarely partially united. Petals as many, twisted in the 

 bud. Stamens as many, free, or the filaments very shortly united 

 at the base, with small teeth between each (or, in exotic genera, 

 10 stamens). Styles 5, rarely fewer, often slightly connected at 

 the base, with capitate stigmas. Ovary with as many cells as 

 styles, or incompletely divided into twice as many. Capsule 

 separating into as many carpels as cells, without any central 

 column ; each carpel opening inwards by longitudinal slits, and 

 containing 2 seeds, often separated by an incomplete partition. 

 No albumen. 



A small Order, widely spread over the globe, differing from the 

 Geranium family chiefly in the foliage and the absence of any persis- 

 tent axis to the fruit, from the Pink family by the capitate stigmas 

 and the structure of the fruit. 



Parts of the flower in fives 1. Flax. 



Parts of the flower in fours 2. Allseed. 



I. FLAX. LINUM. 



Sepals, petals, and stamens 5. Cells of the capsule apparently 10 

 but really 5, each divided into two by a nearly complete partition. 



A rather numerous genus, spread over nearly the whole of the tem- 

 perate and warmer regions of the globe, but chiefly abundant in the 

 Mediterranean region and western Asia. 



Flowers small, white. Lower leaves opposite 4. Cathartic F. 



Flpwers blue. Leaves all alternate. 

 Root annual. Sepals pointed. 



Stem erect. Leaves lanceolate. Petals 7 or 8 lines long 1. Common F. 

 Stem decumbent. Leaves short and linear. Petals not 



6 lines long 3. Pale F. 



Rootstock perennial. 



Sepals obtuse. Petals deep blue, 7 or 8 lines long . . 2. Perennial F. 

 Sepals pointed. Petals pale blue, not 6 lines long . . 3. Pale F. 



The L.jlavum, a south European perennial, with yellow flowers, and 

 some other exotic species, are to be met with in our gardens. 



