( 353 .) 
LI'NUM* *. 
Linnean Class and Order. Penta'ndria f, Pentagy'nia. 
Natural Order. Li'nE/E, Dec. — Lindl. Syn. p. 53. ; Introd. to 
Nat. Syst. of Bot. p. 155. — Loud, llort. Brit. p. 5)2. — Don’s (Jen. 
Syst. of Gard. and Bot. v. i. p. 449. — Mack. FI. Hibern. p. 51. — 
Hook. Brit. FI. (4th ed.) p. 409. — Geraniace.e ; tribe, Linace.e, 
Rich, by Macgilliv. pp. 474 & 475. — Akin to Caryophylle.e, 
Juss. Gen. PI. p. 303. — Sm. Gram, of Bot. pp. 159 and 161. — 
Guuinales, Linn. — Rosai.es ; suborder, Riheados.* ; section, 
Gruin.e; type, Linace^: ; Burn. Outl. of Bot. v. ii. pp. 614, 784, 
and 808. 
Gen. Char. Calyx (fig. 1.) inferior, of 5 spear-shaped, entire, 
upright, permanent sepals, smaller than the corolla. Corolla 
(fig. 2.) of 5, moderately spreading petals, gradually dilated up- 
wards, obtuse, or abrupt. Filaments (figS. 3 & 4.) 5, As long as the 
calyx, awl-shaped, upright, inserted into an annular floral receptacle, 
along with the petals, and 5 shorter, intermediate, imperfect ones. 
Anthers arrow-shaped. Germen (fig. 6.) superior, egg-shaped. 
Styles (see fig. 6.) 5, thread-shaped, upright, the length of the.sta- 
tnens. Stiymas bluntish, spreading, undivided. Capsule (figs. 
8 & 9.) nearly globular, obscurely 5-sided, with 10 cells, and 10 
valves, combined in pairs. Seeds (fig.- 1 1 .) solitary, egg-shaped, 
pointed, compressed, polished. 
Distinguished from other genera, in the same class and order, 
by the calyx of 5 sepals ; the corolla of 5 petals ; the 10-celled, 
and 10-valved capsule; and the egg-shaped, compressed seeds. 
Four sppeies British. 
LI'NUM USITATPSSIMUM + Common Flax. Lint. Lyne. 
Linseed, or Lintseed. 
Spec. Char. Leaves alternate, spear-shaped. Sepals egg-shaped, 
pointed, with 3 ribs. Petals crenate. Stem mostly solitary. 
Engl. B t. t. 1357. — Curt. FI. Loud. t. 316. — Woodv. Med. Bot. v. ii. p. 303. 
t. 111. — Mart. FI. Rust. t. 133. — Linn. Sp. PI. p. 397. — I lulls. FI. Angl. (2mled.) 
p. 133. — Willd. Sp. PI. v. i. pt. II. p. 1533. — Sm. FI. Brit. v. i. p. 342. ; Engl. FI. 
v. ii. p. L18. — W’ith. (7th ed.) v. ii. p. 407. — Gray’s Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. 640. — Lind. 
Syn. p. 53. — Hook. Brit. FI. p. 147. — Macr. Man. Brit. Bot. p. 35. — Lightf. F). 
Scot. v. i. p. 173. — Abbot’s FI. Bedf. p. 71. — Thornt. Fam. Herb. p. 331, with a 
figure. — Dickson’s Practical Agriculture, v. ii. pp. 733 to 744. — Davies’ Welsh Bot. 
p. 31. — Purt. Midl.'Fl. v. i. p. 164. — Relh. FI. Cant. (3rd ed.) p. 132. — Hook. FI. 
Scot. p. 97. — Grev FI. Edin. p. 74. — FI. Devon, pp. 56 6c 181. — Loud. Encycl. of 
Agricult. (2nd ed.) pp. 913 to 916. parag. 5880 to 5921, with figures. — Don’s Gen. 
Syst. of Gard. and Bot. v, i. pp. 453 to 456. — Winch’s FI. of Northumb. & Durh. 
p. 21. — Baxt. Lib. of Agricult, and Horticult. Knowl. (2nded.) p. 239. — Walker’s 
FI. of Oxf. p. 88. — Perry’s PI. Varvic. Selectai, p. 27. — Lind. FI. Med. p. 129. — 
Dick. FI. Abred. p. 32. — Irv. Lond. FI. p. 173. — Mack. Catal of PI. of Irel. p. 31 ; 
FI. Hibern. p. 51. — Linum sylvestre sativum plane referens, Ray’s Syn. p. 
362. — Linum sativum, Johnson’s Gerarde, p. 556- 
Fig. 1. Calyx. — Fig. 2. Corolla. — Figs. 3, 4, & 5. Stamens. — Figs. 6 & 7. Ger- 
meus, Styles, and Stigmas. — Fig. 8. Capsule, with the Calyx. — Fig. 9. Ditto, with- 
out the Calyx. — Fig. 10. Transverse section of ditto. — Fig. 11. A Seed. ■ 
* From linon, Gr. ; and this from tin , Celtic ; a thread ; hence our word linen. 
Thornton. + Sec folio 48, note -t. 
t So called from its extreme utility, and the various economical purposes (o 
which its several parts are applied, Burnett. 
