Linum usitatissimum Seeds | Flax
LATIN NAME: Linum usitatissimum
COMMON NAME: Flax
Plant Profile
Flax (Linum usitatissimum) is a slender, upright, annual in the flax family. Flax is old blue crop of cool fields, and the whole plant gives the linen and the seed oil of the old trade. It is a plant of open, sunny, well-drained ground. Not many plants ask so little and repay so much.
Science & Biotechnology
Research touching on Linum usitatissimum ranges from the botany of the flax family to practical horticulture, including seed handling, propagation and the selection of superior forms. Contemporary seed practice means a grower can raise it confidently with standard techniques.
Uses & Benefits
Flax brings genuine presence to the garden and earns its keep across the growing season. Flax is a fine, historic plant of cool field and the garden. It has been written up in textile and culinary papers for linen and golden oil, and it is a fine, long-cultivated plant of open, sunny, well-drained garden. Flax is one of old fibre and oil crops of cool fields, and stem fibres spin into linen of old trade. Once settled, it thrives on neglect more than on fussing.
Flax is a double gift: linen fiber and linseed, the richest common plant source of omega-3 ALA and lignans, with ground flaxseed studied for cholesterol, digestive and hormonal support. It is one of humanity’s oldest crops and still one of its most functional foods.
Growing from Seed
Flax is one of those generous plants that come along well from seed. Scatter the seed evenly over a loose seed compost, cover to no more than its own depth, and keep the pot moist and bright. Prick the seedlings out once they are large enough to handle, grow them on in bright light, and plant out when conditions allow.
Our Take
It forms a slender, upright, annual, which makes spacing and siting straightforward. Given the right start, Flax is a long-term garden companion. Even moisture while the seed is chitting is the main thing; afterwards it largely looks after itself.
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