flax
Linum usitatissimum (family: Linnacaea), an important temperate
and subtemperate, grown for fiber and linseed oil. The native flaw of Eurasia
is a straw-like annual, 600–900 mm (2–3 ft) high, whose white,
blue, or pink flowers ripen into seed bolls. The crop usually harvested
after about 14 weeks, when the fiber is separated from the seed. The fibers
are then soaked and scraped away from the woody stem and the longer ones
are combed out and spun into yarn, which is turned into linen. The seeds
are squeezed to give oil.
Related category
• BOTANY
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