Practical
Plants

Linum perenne

Perennial Flax

a perennial member of the Linum genus in the family Linaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Linaceae
Genus
Linum
Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.3 m
Spread
0.15 m
Fertility
Bees, Flies
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Flies

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The raw seed contains cyanide and should not be eaten raw[6]. The cooked seed is perfectly safe[6].

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - cooked[15][17][6]. A pleasant nutty taste and very nutritious[19]. The seed has a high oil content and can be eaten on its own or used as a flavouring[4][6]. It should not be eaten raw because it contains cyanide but this is destroyed in the cooking process[6].

Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The plant is antirheumatic, carminative and stomachic[19][13]. The oil in the seed has soothing and lubricating properties, and is used in medicines to soothe tonsillitis, sore throats, coughs, colds, constipation, gravel and stones[12]. When mixed with an equal quantity of lime water it is used to treat burns and scalds[12]. A poultice of the fresh crushed leaves has been used to treat eye problems[19][10]. A tincture of the entire plant is used in the treatment of diarrhoea[14]. The fresh herb is boiled and taken internally for the treatment of rheumatic pains, heartburn, colds, coughs and dropsy[14][13]. A poultice of the plant is applied to bruises to reduce the swelling[13]. The seeds are emollient[11]. An eye medicine is made from them[13]. An infusion of the roots is used as an eyewash[13].

Product or use
Antirheumatic
Product or use
Carminative
Product or use
Emollient
Product or use
Ophthalmic
Product or use
Poultice
Product or use
Stomachic

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A drying oil is obtained from the seed. Used mainly for lighting[5], though it could also be used in all the ways that linseed oil (from Linum usitatissimum) is used - in paints, varnishes etc[2]. An infusion of the whole plant is used as a hair and skin wash[13]. It is said to be very beneficial to the skin and also to help prevent hair loss[13]. A good fibre is obtained from the stems, it is inferior to flax (Linum usitatissimum)[2] but is used for making cloth, nets, string, baskets, mats etc and in paper making[14][15][17][18][19][2]. When used for paper making, the stems are harvested in late summer or autumn when they are two thirds yellow and are then retted[7]. The fibre is then stripped from the stem, cooked for two hours or more with lye and then beaten in a Hollander beater[7].

Product or use
Cosmetic
Product or use
Fibre
Product or use
Hair care
Product or use
Oil
Product or use
Paper

Environment

Range
Europe. Western N. America.
Habitat
Calcareous grassland[12]. Prairies to alpine ridges, usually on dry well-drained soils in Western N. America[16].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 7+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
drought
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow spring in greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. Basal cuttings in spring. Harvest the shoots when they are about 8 - 10cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a light dry well-drained moderately fertile humus-rich soil in a sunny sheltered position[9]. Prefers an alkaline soil. Established plants are drought tolerant[8]. A very ornamental plant[1], it is not generally very long-lived though it normally self-sows freely[8]. The sub-species lewisii (which is seen as a separate species by some botanists or as no more than a synonym of this species by others) is more desirable for its fibre and has been cultivated by the N. American Indians for this purpose[3].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.

    ↩1↩2↩3

  3. Arnberger. L. P. Flowers of the Southwest Mountains. Southwestern Monuments Ass. 1968-00-00

    ↩

  4. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩

  5. Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre

    ↩

  6. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  7. Bell. L. A. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press 1988-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  8. Chatto. B. The Dry Garden. Dent 1982-00-00 ISBN 0460045512

    ↩1↩2

  9. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  10. Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-449-90589-6

    ↩

  11. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩

  12. Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30725-8

    ↩1↩2↩3

  13. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  14. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  15. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  16. Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955-00-00

    ↩

  17. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2

  18. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

    ↩

  19. Sweet. M. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co. 1962-00-00 ISBN 0-911010-54-8

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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