Linum
(from Linon, the old Greek name used by Theophrastus). Flax. ORD. Lineae. A genus comprising about eighty species of glabrous or rarely pubescent, annual, biennial, or perennial herbs or shrubs, natives of all the temperate regions of the globe, but rare in the tropics. Flowers yellow, blue, or rarely rosy, blood-coloured or white, very fugitive, in terminal or axillary racemes, sometimes loosely racemose-subcymaeform, sometimes in contracted fascicles or spicate heads. Leaves alternate or rarely opposite, narrow, entire, one to many nerved. Linums, whether of annual or perennial duration, are exceedingly ornamental and very free-flowering plants. The hardy perennial species are well suited for rockwork embellishment, and some of them succeed in the mixed border, where the soil is well drained. In all northerly parts of the country, a sheltered, warm position should be afforded, to insure their safety. Propagation may be effected by seeds, by cuttings, or sometimes by divisions in spring. Seeds are generally produced freely, and may be sown in pots, about March, and the young plants afterwards transferred to the open air; or they may be sown outside, in April. Cuttings should be taken in summer, when the wood is sufficiently firm without being too much hardened, and inserted in a shady position, under a hand glass. L. grandiflorum, one of the best showy annuals in cultivation, may be raised in any quantity from seeds sown, in March, where the plants are intended to flower. A well-drained sandy loam, with a little leaf mould or peat intermixed, may be recommended for Linums grown outside; but they are not usually fastidious regarding soil. All the under-mentioned are hardy herbaceous perennials, except where otherwise stated.
L. alpinum (alpine).* fl. blue, large, few, rather corymbose; inner sepals blunt, outer ones acutish. July and August. l. linear, awl-shaped, spreading, full of pellucid dots. h. 6in. Europe, 1739. (S. B. F. G. 17.) L. angustifolium (narrow-leaved). Pale Flax. fl., petals pale purple, with a slight notch; sepals acutish. July. l. linear-lanceolate, acute. h. 1ft. Europe (Britain). Plant glabrous, many-stemmed, rather erect. (Sy. En. B. 291.) L. arboreum (tree-like).* fl. yellow, handsome, large, few, somewhat capitate; sepals acuminated. May and June. l. cuneiform, obtuse, alternate, recurved. h. 1ft. Crete, &c., 1788. A handsome dwarf spreading shrub, rather tender, but it will handsome dwarf spreading shrub, rather tender, but it will thrive in a warm sunny spot in the open border; it should be sheltered by a few branches during severe winters. (B. M. 234.) L. austriacum (Austrian). fl. pale bluish-purple; petals retuse; fructiferous pedicels deflexed. June and July. l. linear or rather lanceolate, acute, erectish, full of pellucid dots. Branches racemose. h. 1ft. to 2ft. Austria, 1775. Plant glabrous, erect. (B. M. 1806.) L. campanulatum (bell-shape-flowered). fl. yellow, corymbose. June to August. l. alternate; lower ones rounded at the apex; middle ones furnished with a small point; upper ones obversely lanceolate, acuminate. h. 1ft. South Europe, 1795. Plant scabrous at the base, glaucous. (L. B. C. 1254.) L. Chamissonis (Chamisso's). A synonym of L. Macraei. L. flavum (yellow).* fl. transparent golden-yellow, densely and numerously produced in branched heads; sepals acuminated, serrulated. June to August. l. alternate, narrow-lanceolate, acute, sessile, with smooth margins. h. 1ft. to 1 1/2ft. Europe, 1793. A very handsome plant, woody at the base; it is not quite hardy in the Northern parts of England, but will withstand severe weather if slightly protected. (B. M. 312.) L. grandiflorum (large-flowered).* fl. rose-coloured, large, loosely panicled; sepals lanceolate, acute, ciliately serrated. June and July. l. linear-lanceolate, acute, erectish. h. 6in. to 12in. North Africa, 1820. Hardy annual. Plant glabrous, erectish, branched at the base. (B. M. 4956.) The form known as rubrum has brighter-coloured flowers than the type. L. Macraei (MacRae's).* fl. orange; sepals ovate, acuminated. Summer. l. opposite or alternate, lanceolate, acuminated, stiff. Stems shrubby at the base. h. 1ft. Chili, 1864. Greenhouse or half-hardy. SYN. L. Chamissonis. (B. M. 5474.) L. monogynum (one-styled). fl. yellow, numerous; sepals ovate-lanceolate acute. June and July. l. alternate, lanceolate. Stem shrubby. h. 1ft. New Zealand, 1822. (B. M. 3574.) L. narbonense (Narbonne).* fl. of a beautiful blue, but sometimes white, large, disposed in sub-corymbose panicles. May to July. l. alternate, distant, lanceolate-linear, very acute, and rather stiff. h. 2ft. Europe, 1759. Plant glabrous, erect, rather glaucous. (L. B. C. 190.) L. nervosum (nerved). fl. blue, large, in loose panicles; petals emarginated or pointed, crenated at the apex. June and July. l. lanceolate, pointed, glabrous. Stem hairy at the base. h. 1ft. to 1 1/2ft. Eastern Europe, 1822. L. perenne (perennial). fl. pale blue; petals emarginate; outer sepals hardly mucronate, inner ones blunt. June and July. l. linear, acute, erect. h. 1ft. to 1 1/2ft. Europe (Britain). Plant glabrous, ascending. (Sy. En. B. 290.) L. salsoloides (Salsola-like). fl. white, with a purple centre or eye; sepals ovate, acuminated, fringed with glandular hairs in the middle. June and July. l. linear-setaceous, smoothish. Stems shrubby at the base, branched, and a little twisted; branches ascending. h. 1ft. South-west Europe, 1810. Hardy evergreen.
L. sibiricum (Siberian). fl. of a beautiful blue, large; sepals oval, outer ones acutish, inner ones very blunt. h. 3ft. to 4ft. Siberia, 1775. Plant glabrous, erect. (B. R. 1163.) L. tauricum (Taurian).* fl. yellow, in dichotomous panicles; sepals acuminated, serrulated. June to August. l. alternate, glaucous; lower ones rather spathulate, upper ones lanceolate. h. 1 1/2ft. Caucasus, 1818. Hardy evergreen shrub.
L. trigynum. See Reinwardtia trigyna.
L. usitatissimum (most-used). Common Flax. fl. blue, in corymbose panicles; petals rather crenated; sepals ovate, acute. June and July. l. lanceolate or linear, acute. h. 1 1/2ft. Europe. Plant erect, glabrous. Hardy annual. (Sy. En. B. 292.) L. viscosum (clammy). fl. pale purple, rarely blue, in an erect corymb. June to August. l. lanceolate, alternate and somewhat opposite, and, as well as the stems, hairy. h. 1ft. to 2ft. Europe, 1807.