Linum

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids I
Ordo: Malpighiales

Familia: Linaceae
Subfamilia: Linoideae
Genus: Linum
Overview of species (194)

L. acuticarpum – L. adustum – L. aethiopicum – L. africanum – L. aksehirense – L. alatum – L. album – L. allredii – L. alpinum – L. altaicum – L. amurense – L. annotinum – L. appressum – L. arboreum – L. arenicola – L. aretioides – L. aristatum – L. aroanium – L. australe – L. austriacum – L. ayliniae
b

L. bahamense – L. baicalense – L. basarabicum – L. berlandieri – L. betsiliense – L. bienne – L. boissieri – L. brachypetalum – L. brevifolium – L. brevistylum – L. burkartii
c

L. caespitosum – L. campanulatum – L. capitatum – L. cariense – L. carneum – L. carnosulum – L. carratracense – L. carteri – L. catharticum – L. chaborasicum – L. chamissonis – L. ciliatum – L. compactum – L. comptonii – L. corymbiferum – L. corymbulosum – L. cratericola – L. cremnophilum – L. cruciatum – L. cubense – L. czernjajevii
d

L. decumbens – L. densiflorum – L. digynum – L. doerfleri – L. dolomiticum
e

L. elegans – L. elongatum – L. emirnense – L. empetrifolium – L. erigeroides – L. ertugrulii – L. esterhuysenae – L. euboeum – L. extraaxillare
f

L. filiforme – L. flagellare – L. flavum – L. floridanum – L. flos-carmini
g

L. gaditanum – L. goulimyi – L. gracile – L. grandiflorum – L. guatemalense – L. gyaricum – L. gypsogenium
h

L. harlingii – L. harperi – L. hellenicum – L. heterosepalum – L. heterostylum – L. hirsutum – L. hologynum – L. hudsonioides – L. hypericifolium
i

L. imbricatum – L. intercursum – L. iranicum
j

L. jimenezii
k

L. katiae – L. kaynakiae – L. keniense – L. khorassanicum – L. kingii – L. komarovii – L. kurdicum
l

L. lasiocarpum – L. leonii – L. leucanthum – L. lewisii – L. littorale – L. longipes – L. lundellii
m

L. macraei – L. macrocarpum – L. macrorhizum – L. marginale – L. marianorum – L. maritimum – L. marojejyense – L. mcvaughii – L. medium – L. meletonis – L. mexicanum – L. modestum – L. monogynum – L. mucronatum – L. mysorense
n

L. narbonense – L. nelsonii – L. neomexicanum – L. nervosum – L. nodiflorum – L. numidicum
o

L. obtusatum – L. ockendonii – L. olgae – L. olympicum – L. orizabae
p

L. pallasianum – L. pallescens – L. pamphylicum – L. perenne – L. persicum – L. peyronii – L. phitosianum – L. polygaloides – L. pratense – L. pringlei – L. prostratum – L. puberulum – L. pubescens – L. punctatum – L. pungens
q

L. quadrifolium
r

L. ramosissimum – L. rigidum – L. rupestre – L. rzedowskii
s

L. salsoloides – L. scabrellum – L. schiedeanum – L. scoparium – L. selaginoides – L. seljukorum – L. setaceum – L. silpii – L. smithii – L. squamulosum – L. stelleroides – L. stocksianum – L. striatum – L. strictum – L. subbiflorum – L. subteres – L. suffruticosum – L. sulcatum
t

L. tauricum – L. tenellum – L. tenue – L. tenuifolium – L. thesioides – L. thracicum – L. thunbergii – L. tmoleum – L. toxicum – L. triflorum – L. trigynum – L. turcomanicum
u

L. ucranicum – L. unguiculatum – L. uninerve – L. usitatissimum
v

L. vanense – L. velutinum – L. vernale – L. verruciferum – L. villarianum – L. villosum – L. violascens – L. virginianum – L. virgultorum – L. viscosum – L. volkensii – L. vuralianum
w

L. westii
Source(s) of checklist:
WorldPlants, 14 Feb 2019 & Govaerts et al. (2019)

Unplaced species: L. glaucum – (accepted by World Plants, given as unplaced synonym by POWO) L. milletii – (accepted by World Plants, not mentioned by POWO) L. tegedense
(accepted by World Plants, given as unplaced by POWO)
Name

Linum L., Sp. Pl. 1: 277. 1753; Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 135. 1754.

Lectotype species (designated by J.K. Small, N. Amer. Fl. 25: 67. 1907): Linum usitatissimum L.

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Adenolinum Rchb., Handb. Nat. Pfl.-Syst.: 306. 1837.
Alsolinum Fourr., Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, n.s., 16: 349. 1868.
Cathartolinum Rchb., Handb. Nat. Pfl.-Syst.: 306. 1837.
Chrysolinum Fourr., Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, n.s., 16: 349. 1868.
Leucolinum Fourr., Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, n.s., 16: 349. 1868.
Linopsis Rchb., Handb. Nat. Pfl.-Syst.: 306. 1837.
Meiapinon Raf., Fl. Tellur. 3: 32. 1837.
Mesyniopsis W.A.Weber, Phytologia 70: 232. 1991.
Mesynium Raf., Fl. Tellur. 3: 33. 1837.
Nezera Raf., New Fl. 4: 64. 1838.
Numisaureum Raf., Fl. Tellur. 3: 32. 1837.
Sclerolinon C.M.Rogers, Madroño 18: 182. 1966.
Xantholinum Rchb., Handb. Nat. Pfl.-Syst.: 306. 1837.

Note: There are significant differences in species circumscription and synonymy between Govaerts et al. (2019) and Hassler (2019), however the above are consensual.
References
Primary references

Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum. Tomus I: 277. Reference page.
Linnaeus, C. 1754. Genera Plantarum, ed. 5: 135. Reference page.

Additional references

McDill, J.R., Repplinger, M., Simpson, B.B. & Kadereit, J.W. 2009. The Phylogeny of Linum and Linaceae subfamily Linoideae, with Implications for Their Systematics, Biogeography, and Evolution of Heterostyly. Systematic Botany 34(2): 386–405. DOI: 10.1600/036364409788606244 BioOne ResearchGate Reference page.

Links

Hassler, M. 2019. Linum. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2019. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Oct 06. Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Linum in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Oct 06. Reference page.
Tropicos.org 2019. Linum. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Feb 14.
Farr, E.R. & Zijlstra, G. (eds.) 1996 onwards. Linum in Index Nominum Genericorum (Plantarum). Accessed: 2019 Feb 14.

Vernacular names
žemaitėška: Lins
башҡортса: Етен
беларуская: Лён
български: Лен
čeština: len
dansk: Hør
Deutsch: Lein
English: Flax
Esperanto: Lino
eesti: Lina
فارسی: بزرک
suomi: Pellavat
français: Lin
עברית: פשתה
hornjoserbsce: Len
magyar: Len
日本語: アマ属
ქართული: სელი
қазақша: Зығыр
kurdî: Zegerek
lietuvių: Linas
македонски: Лен
кырык мары: Итӹн
эрзянь: Лияназ
Plattdüütsch: Flass
ирон: Лыстæг гæн
polski: Len
русский: Лён
slovenčina: ľan
svenska: Linsläktet
Türkçe: Keten
татарча/tatarça: Җитен
удмурт: Етӥн
українська: Льон
اردو: کتان
中文: 亚麻属

Linum (flax) is a genus of approximately 200 species[1][2] in the flowering plant family Linaceae. They are native to temperate and subtropical regions of the world. The genus includes the common flax (L. usitatissimum), the bast fibre of which is used to produce linen and the seeds to produce linseed oil.
Linum narbonense

The flowers of most species are blue or yellow, rarely red, white, or pink, and some are heterostylous. There is an average of 6 to 10 seeds per boll.

Linum species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the cabbage moth, the nutmeg, the setaceous Hebrew character and Coleophora striolatella, which feeds exclusively on Linum narbonense.

Cultivation

Several flaxes are cultivated as garden ornamentals, including the blue-flowered species blue flax (L. narbonense), Lewis' blue flax (L. lewisii), and perennial blue flax (L. perenne), the red-flowered scarlet flax (L. grandiflorum), and the yellow-flowered golden flax (L. flavum). In Eurasia, since Roman times, the genus Linum has been cultivated not only for its plant fiber, but also its seeds and tender leaves for culinary usage.[3]
Selected species

Linum alatum – winged flax
Linum album
Linum alpinum
Linum arboreum – tree flax
Linum arenicola – sand flax
Linum aristatum – bristle flax
Linum australe – southern flax
Linum austriacum – Asian flax
Linum berlandieri – Berlandier's yellow flax
Linum bienne (syn. L. angustifolium) – pale flax
Linum campanulatum
Linum cariense
Linum carteri – Carter's flax
Linum catharticum – fairy flax
Linum compactum – Wyoming flax
Linum cratericola – Galápagos Islands flax
Linum dolomiticum
Linum elongatum – Laredo flax
Linum flavum – golden flax
Linum floridanum – Florida yellow flax
Linum grandiflorum – scarlet flax, flowering flax
Linum hirsutum – downy flax
Linum hudsonioides – Texas flax
Linum imbricatum – tufted flax
Linum intercursum – sandplain flax
Linum kingii – King's flax
Linum leoni
Linum lewisii – Lewis' blue flax, Lewis flax

Linum usitatissimum
Linum lundellii – Sullivan City flax
Linum macrocarpum – Spring Hill flax
Linum marginale – Australian native flax
Linum medium – stiff yellow flax
Linum monogynum – New Zealand linen flax
Linum narbonense – blue flax
Linum neomexicanum – New Mexico yellow flax
Linum perenne – perennial blue flax
Linum pratense – meadow flax
Linum puberulum – plains flax
Linum pubescens
Linum rigidum -– stiffstem flax
Linum rupestre – rock flax
Linum schiedeanum – Schiede's flax
Linum strictum – ridged yellow flax
Linum subteres – Sprucemont flax, slenderfoot flax
Linum suffruticosum
Linum sulcatum – grooved flax
Linum tenuifolium
Linum trigynum – French flax
Linum usitatissimum – common cultivated flax
Linum vernal – Chihuahuan flax
Linum virginianum – woodland flax
Linum westii – West's flax

References

Linum. The Jepson Manual.
Muravenko, O. V., et al. (2010). Karyogenomics of species of the genus Linum L. Russian Journal of Genetics 46(10), 1182-85.
Babylonian Talmud (Baba Bathra 92a, Rashi, s.v. ולא צמחו; Nedarim 49a), Mishnah (Peah 6:4), Tosefta (Ma'aser Rishon 3:8)