762 
L I N U M. 
This valuable plant is fuppofed to have been derived 
originally from thofe parts of Egypt which are expofed to 
the inundations of the Nile. In the earlieft record we have. 
Exodus ix. 31. flax is mentioned as a plant cultivated in 
that country ; for which reafon antiquaries have been 
furprlfed to find the veflrnents of mummies made of cot¬ 
ton. It is highly probable, however, that mankind made 
thread of cotton before the ufe of flax was difco'vered ; 
the former being produced in a Hate ready for fpinning, 
whereas the latter requires a long procefs before it can be 
brought to that (fate. It is difficult, or perhaps impofii- 
ble, to determine when the culture of flax was firft intro¬ 
duced into this country. In the fimplicity of former 
times, when families provided within themfelves moil of 
the neceflaries and conveniences of life, every garden 
fupplied a proper quantity of hemp and flax. The ma¬ 
cerating or deeping, neceffary to feparate the fibres by 
rotting the red of the ftalk, was found to render water fo 
offenfive, that by the 33d of Henry VIII. it was enabled, 
that no perfon fliould water any hemp or flax in any river or 
othef (tream, or in any common pond where beads are ufed 
to be watered, under the penalty of twenty (hillings. The 
growth of hemp and flax has lately been encouraged by a 
premium, under an act of parliament. Flax is found 
wild in many parts of Europe, in corn-fields. In Eng¬ 
land it- is doubtful perhaps whether it be aboriginal, 
though it is faid to be very common in the wedern coun¬ 
ties, not only in corn-fields, but in padures and on downs. 
It flowers in June and July. 
The feeds of flax (lin-feed) yield, by expreflion only, a 
large proportion of oil, which is an excellent pebloral, as 
is likewife the mucilaginous infufion. They make an 
cafy and ufeful poultice in cafes of external inflammation ; 
and they are the food of feveral fmall birds. After the 
oil is exprefled, the remaining farinaceous part, called oil¬ 
cake, is given to oxen, who foon grow fat upon it. The 
oil itfelf differs in feveral refpects from other exprefled 
oils ; it does not congeal in winter, nor does it form a fo¬ 
lk) foap with fixed alkaline falts 5 and it abls more pow¬ 
erfully as a mendruum upon fulphureous bodies. When 
heat is applied during the expreflion, it gets a yellowifh 
colour and a peculiar fmell. In this date it is ufed by 
painters and varnifliers. It is well known that the fibres of 
the dem are manufactured into linen ; and that this linen, 
when worn to rags, is made into paper. 
Mr. Miller remarks, that, although- the plants of flax, 
when crowded together in cultivation, rife only a foot and 
a half in height, with a (lender unbranched dalle ; yet, when 
they are allowed room, they will rife more than two feet 
high, and put out two or three fide-branches towards the 
top, efpecially in a good foil. 
He makes a diflinbl fpecies of the dwarf-variety, be- 
caufe it has dronger and fhorter dalks branching out 
rnore, the leaves broader, the flowers larger'with the pe¬ 
tals indented at the extremity, the feed-veflels much 
larger, and the peduncles lodger. 
Flax in German is Jlacks, or kin ; in Dutch, vlafcli ; in 
Danifli, hor, or harr ; in Norwegian, liin-, in Swedifh, tin ; 
in French, lin ; in Italian and Spanifh, lino-, in Portuguefe, 
linho •, in Ruffian, Polifh, and all the languages from the 
Sclavonian, len or lan. All the European languages, ex¬ 
cept the Danifh, ufe lin, when they fpeak of the feed. 
2.. Linum perenne, or perennial flax : calyxes and cap- 
fules blunt; leaves lanceolate, quite entire. Of this there 
are two varieties : a.. L. decumhens, the Englilh wild flax ; 
with a prodrate ftem; and, / 3 . L. ereclum, the Siberian 
flax ; with an upright dem. 
a. Mr. Miller thus deferibes the wild perennial flax. 
From its perennial root arife three or four inclining dalks, 
having ibort narrow leaves towards their bafe, but fcarcely 
any about the top. The flowers are produced at the ends 
of the dalks, fitting very clofe; they are blue, and about 
the fize of the cultivated fort, and are fucceeded by pretty 
large round feed-veflels, ending in acute points. The 
jroots will continue four or five years. The flowers ap¬ 
pear from June to Angud; they are of a delicate texture, 
and very elegant blue colour. Native of Cambridgefhire, 
Norfolk, Suffolk, and Northamptonfhire, on calcareous paf- 
tu res. 
( 3 . Mr. Miller thus diftinguifhes the upright Siberian 
plant. The flems of this are flrong, in number according 
to the fize of the root, in height from three to five feet 
according to the foil; they divide into feveral branches 
at top. Leaves narrow-lanceolate, not much more than 
an inch long, and an eighth of an inch bread, of a deeo 
green, ending in acute points. The flowers form a kind 
of umbel at the ends of the branches; the dalks id fin g 
nearly of the fame height. The dowers are large, and of 
a fine blue; appear in June, and are fucceeded by obtufe 
feed-veflels, ripening in September: thus deferibed by the 
accurate Gsertner: capfule the fize of a pea, fpherical, 
flriated, pale draw-colour, ten-celled, ten-valved ; valves 
crudaceous, with a groove on the back, opening at top, 
and connected by means of the partitions ; which are 
membranaceous, folded, or doubled, with their lamina; 
parted on the outfide, and fo inferted into the margins of 
the valves, that when tliefe open the others unfold like 
the leather of a pair of bellows; receptacle none, but the 
feeds are fixed to the central margin of the partitions ; 
feed folitary, ovate, mucronate at top, compiefied, dark- 
coloured, fliining, with a minute oblong navel below the 
tip. The flruchire of the partition in the capfule of Li¬ 
num is diflinbl from all others, as far as we know. Mr, 
Miller affirms that Siberian flax always has more branch¬ 
ing dalks, longer and broader leaves, larger flowers, and 
much larger blunter feed-veflels, than our Englifh peren¬ 
nial. flax. He alfo recommends the cultivating it for ufe j 
being perennial, earlier, more productive, and yielding a 
dronger, though not fo fine a thread. 
3. Linum monogynum, or one-dyled flax : calyxes 
acute ; leaves linear-lanceolate, even ; dem round, fhrub- 
by and branched at the bafe ; flowers one-dyled. Native 
of New Zealand ; in Queen Charlotte’s Sound. 
4. Linum vifeofum, or clammy flax : leaves lanceolate, 
hairy, five-nerved. Root woody, perennial ; leaves with 
hairs as long as the leaves themfelves, acuminate, five- 
nerved ; corolla flefh-coloured, with lines of a blood-red 
colour. Ray found it near Augfburg ; it has alfo been 
feen near Ingoldadt, in the mountains near Bologna, See. 
The ftalk is glutinous or clammy, whence its name. Al- 
lione aflerts that it differs in nothing from the next fpecies. 
5. Linum hirfutum, or hairy flax : calyxes hirfute, acu¬ 
minate, feffile, alternate; branch-leaves oppofite. Root 
woody, perennial; flems round, Ample, hairy, from a foot 
to two feet in height, often finooth at bottom, leafy all 
over, upright, branching at top into flowering corymbs. 
Leaves acuminate, alternate, except a few at the ends of 
the branches, which are oppofite, hairy, efpecially at the 
edge and on the dorfal nerves; but fometimes alinoff 
finooth. Flowers on very fhort peduncles, not from the 
axils, hut a little higher, and alfo from the divifion of 
the branches ; petals blue marked with lines, firmly em¬ 
bracing each other at the lower part, though not united 
at the bafe, reprefenting even after they are fallen a 1110- 
nopetalous funnel-form flower; afatherse pale. Linnteus 
obferves, that this bears a great refemblance to L. nodi- 
florum ; but that the dem is round, the leaves ciliate or 
hirfute, and broader, the flem-leaves alternate, but the 
branch-leaves oppofite, the flowers feffile, alternate, the ca¬ 
lyxes leafy and long, the branch or floral leaves and the ca¬ 
lyxes ciliate with very fhort glandular bridles, efpecially 
towards the top. Native of Auflria and Hungary. 
6. Linum Narbonnenfe, or Narbonne flax: calyxes acu¬ 
minate; leaves lanceolate, .ftiff, rugged, acuminate 5 dem 
round, branched at the bafe ; filaments connate. Stem 
from a foot to eighteen inches high, branching out al- 
mod to the bottom into many long (lender branches. 
Flowers at the ends of the branches, in a fort of umbel, 
fmaller than thofe of the fil’d fort, and of a pale blue co¬ 
lour. The feed-veflels are much fmaller, and not fo round. 
Native 
