THE FLAX FAMILY 
57 
each nearly divided again into two, opening from the top by io teeth. Small herbs, with entire, 
alternate, rarely opposite leaves. 
Cathartic or Purging 1 Flax. (Linum catharticum, Linn.)— As just described. 
Flowers ^ inch across, white, yellow towards the centre, in very loose terminal clusters, the central 
flower opening first (cymes). Sepals 5, lance-shaped ; petals 5, pure white with yellow bases. 
Capsules round, splitting into 10 i-seeded cells. Stem 2-10 inches high, very slender, and the 
leaves small, opposite, and oblong. [Plate 29. 
Common. Banks, commons, pastures. June — September. Annual. 
Perennial Flax. (Linum perenne, Linn.)— Flowers few, i-i£ inches across, bright 
blue. Sepals 5, blunt ; petals 5, falling very quickly, bright blue ; stamens 5, alternating with 
5 small teeth (staminodes) ; carpels 5, uniting into a 5-celled seedcase, and separating into 
5 styles. Fruit a round capsule, 10-celled, each cell containing 1 seed. Stems 1-2 feet high, wiry, 
in dense tufts ; and the leaves alternate, narrow, pointed, small, and crowded. [Plate 29. 
Rare, local. Rough, chalky ground. June — July. Perennial. 
Narrow-leaved Flax. (Linum angustifolium, Huds.)— A very similar species to the 
Perennial Flax (Linum perenne), but with smaller, paler blue flowers, pointed sepals, the round 
capsule ending in an abrupt point, fewer stems, and narrower leaves. 
Uncommon. Dry banks and borders of fields. July — August. Perennial. 
^Common Flax. (Linum usitatissimum, Linn.)— Not a native. Differing from the 
Perennial Flax (Linum perenne) in its pointed sepals, its stouter stems, which are generally 
solitary, and its broader, larger, and more distant leaves. This is the flax from the fibre of which 
we obtain the thread which is made into linen, etc. The seeds are also valuable, as they are full 
of oil and have many uses. 
Rare, an escape from cultivation. Cultivated fields. June — July. Annual. 
