Family:
Linaceae DC. ex Perleb

Linum L.

This genus is accepted, and its native range is Temp. to Tropical Mountains.

[FTEA]

Linaceae, Doreen L. Smith. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1966

Morphology General Habit
Perennial or annual herbs, often woody at the base
Morphology Leaves
Leaves sessile, alternate, opposite or whorled, entire or with shortly denticulate margin
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules glandular, persistent, or absent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a terminal monochasial or dichasial cyme, or rarely flowers solitary
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals 4–5, entire or with capitate-glandular serrate margin, free, persistent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 4–5, white,, yellow, blue, pink or red, free or very rarely united at base, shortly clawed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 4–5, alternating with petals; staminodes occasionally present, 4–5, filiform and between the stamens, all joined at base forming a short staminal tube
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary 4–5-locular; each loculus partly divided by a false septum and containing two pendulous ovules
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Styles 4–5, free or rarely united at base; stigmas linear, oblong or capitate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a 4–5-locular, 8–10-valved capsule
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds smooth and flat, with little or no endosperm present; testa becoming mucilaginous on wetting; embryo straight.

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Perennial or annual herbs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate, opposite or whorled, sessile; stipules glandular or absent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers white, yellow, blue, pink or red, in terminal monochasial or dichasial cymes or rarely solitary, sometimes heterostylous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary 4–5-celled; styles 4–5, usually free
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a 4–5-celled, 8–10-valved capsule
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds smooth and flat, with little or no endosperm; testa becoming slimy on wetting.
Distribution
Some 200 species, mainly in north temperate and subtropical regions, especially abundant in the Mediterranean area.
Note
The commercial flax is L. usitatissimum L.

[FZ]

Linaceae, N. K. B. Robson. Flora Zambesiaca 2:1. 1963

Morphology General Habit
Shrublets or, more frequently, perennial or annual herbs, sometimes woody at the base.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves sessile, alternate (or sometimes opposite or whorled at the base of the stem), entire or with a denticulate or ciliate margin, 1- to several-nerved; stipules glandular or absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers terminal, few to many in monochasial or subdichasial cymes or more rarely solitary, homostylic or heterostylic.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals 5, quincuncial, entire or with glandular-ciliate margin, free, persistent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 5, yellow, blue, red, pink or white, free or very rarely united at the base, shortly and narrowly unguiculate with a terminal claw.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
Stamens 5, alternating with the petals and with the filaments ± united in the lower part to form a tube bearing 5 nectary glands outside; staminodes alternating with the stamens and forming filiform processes from the staminal tube, or absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 5-locular, each loculus partially divided by a false septum; styles 5, free or rarely united in the lower half; stigmas capitate or obliquely clavate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a 5-locular 10-valved capsule with 2-seeded loculi, the seeds in each loculus partially separated by a well-developed false septum.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds smooth, flat, with slime-epidermis and little or no endosperm; embryo straight.

Native to:

Afghanistan, Alabama, Alaska, Albania, Alberta, Algeria, Altay, Amur, Angola, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Arizona, Arkansas, Austria, Bahamas, Baleares, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, British Columbia, Bulgaria, Burundi, Buryatiya, California, Cameroon, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Central European Rus, Chatham Is., Chile Central, Chile North, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Chita, Colorado, Connecticut, Corse, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Delaware, Denmark, District of Columbia, Djibouti, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, East Himalaya, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, Florida, France, Free State, Føroyar, Galápagos, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Gulf States, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Idaho, Illinois, India, Indiana, Inner Mongolia, Iowa, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Irkutsk, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kansas, Kazakhstan, Kentucky, Kenya, Khabarovsk, Kirgizstan, Korea, Krasnoyarsk, Kriti, Krym, KwaZulu-Natal, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Louisiana, Madagascar, Madeira, Magadan, Maine, Malawi, Manchuria, Manitoba, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Mongolia, Montana, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nebraska, Netherlands, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New South Wales, New York, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Nicaragua, North Carolina, North Caucasus, North Dakota, North European Russi, Northern Provinces, Northwest European R, Northwest Territorie, Norway, Nunavut, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oman, Ontario, Oregon, Pakistan, Palestine, Paraguay, Pennsylvania, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Primorye, Qinghai, Québec, Rhode I., Romania, Rwanda, Sardegna, Saskatchewan, Saudi Arabia, Sicilia, Sinai, Socotra, Somalia, South Carolina, South Dakota, South European Russi, Spain, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Tanzania, Tasmania, Tennessee, Texas, Tibet, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Turkmenistan, Tuva, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Utah, Uzbekistan, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Himalaya, West Siberia, West Virginia, Western Sahara, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Xinjiang, Yakutskiya, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Yukon, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Extinct in:

Sri Lanka

Introduced into:

Argentina South, Assam, Azores, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Chile South, Dominican Republic, Hawaii, Kamchatka, Nepal, New Brunswick, New Caledonia, Newfoundland, Norfolk Is., Nova Scotia, Prince Edward I., Sakhalin, Thailand, Vietnam

Linum L. appears in other Kew resources:

First published in Sp. Pl.: 277 (1753)

Accepted by

  • Svetlova, A. (2009). The taxonomic review of the genus Linum L. (Linaceae) of the flora of Russia and adjacent states. Novosti Sistematiki Vysshikh Rastenii 41: 99-165.

Literature

Flora Zambesiaca

  • Gen. Pl. ed. 5: 135 (1754).
  • Sp. Pl. 1: 277 (1753)

Flora of Somalia

  • Flora Somalia, Vol 1, (1993) Author: by M. Thulin [updated by M. Thulin 2008]

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • L., Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 135 (1754)
  • Sp. Pl.: 277 (1753)

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    Flora Zambesiaca
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    Flora of Somalia
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    Flora of Tropical East Africa
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Interactive Key to Seed Plants of Malesia and Indo-China

    The Malesian Key Group (2010) Interactive Key to Seed Plants of Malesia and Indo-China (Version 2.0, 28 Jul 2010) The Nationaal Herbarium Nederland Leiden and The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    Copyright applied to individual images