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Taxon:  Linum usitatissimum L.



Summary
Genus:
Linum
Family:
Linaceae
Subfamily:
Linoideae
Nomen number:
22361
Place of publication:
Sp. pl. 1:277. 1753
Verified:
05/08/1992 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
641 (641  active, 364  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Linum crepitans (Boenn.) Dumort.
Linum humile Mill.
Linum usitatissimum L. subsp. transitorium Vavilov & Elladi
Linum usitatissimum L. unranked humile (Mill.) Pers.
No images


Reference(s)
  1. Afonin, A. N., S. L. Greene, N. I. Dzyubenko, & A. N. Frolov, eds. Interactive agricultural ecological atlas of Russia and neighboring countries. Economic plants and their diseases, pests and weeds (on-line resource).
  2. Aldén, B., S. Ryman & M. Hjertson. Våra kulturväxters namn - ursprung och användning. Formas, Stockholm (Handbook on Swedish cultivated and utility plants, their names and origin). 2009
  3. Allaby, R. G. et al. 2005. Evidence of the domestication history of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) from genetic diversity of the sad2 locus. Theor. Appl. Genet. 112:58-65.
  4. Allaby, R. G. et al. 2005. Evidence of the domestication history of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) from genetic diversity of the sad2 locus. Theor. Appl. Genet. 112:58-65.
  5. Bisset, N. G., ed. Herbal drugs and phytopharmaceuticals. A handbook for practice on a scientific basis. 1994
  6. Blumenthal, M., ed. The complete German Commission E monographs: therapeutic guide to herbal medicines. 1998
  7. Boulos, L. Flora of Egypt. 1999-
  8. Chopra, D. & D. Simon. The Chopra Center herbal handbook: forty natural prescriptions for perfect health. 2000
  9. Cooper, M. R. & A. W. Johnson. Poisonous plants and fungi in Britain: animal and human poisoning. 1998
  10. Davis, P. H., ed. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands. 1965-1988
  11. Diederichsen, A. & K. Hammer. 1994. Variation of cultivated flax (Linum usitatissimum L. subsp.usitatissimum) and its wild progenitor pale flax (subsp.angustifolium (Huds.) Thell.). Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 42:253.
  12. Duke, J. A. et al. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs. 2002
  13. Erhardt, W. et al. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 16. Auflage. 2000
  14. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
  15. Foster, S. & J. A. Duke. A field guide to medicinal plants: Eastern/Central North America, 2nd ed. 2000
  16. Fu, Y.-B. & R. G. Allaby. 2010. Phylogenetic network of Linum species as revealed by non-coding chloroplast DNA sequences. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 57:667-677.
  17. Fu, Y.-B. et al. 2011. Locus-specific view of flax domestication history. Ecol. Evol. 2:139-152.
  18. Fu, Y.-B. et al. 2011. Locus-specific view of flax domestication history. Ecol. Evol. 2:139-152.
  19. Fu, Y.-B. 2011. Genetic evidence for early flax domestication with capsular dehiscence. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 58:1119-1128.
  20. Grellin, J. K. & J. Philpott. A reference guide to medicinal plants. 1990
  21. Greuter, W. et al., eds. Med-Checklist. 1984-
  22. International Seed Testing Association. A Multilingual Glossary of Common Plant-Names 1. Field crops, grasses and vegetables, ed. 2. 1982
  23. Janick, J. & J. Simon, eds. Advances in new crops. 1990
  24. Kartesz, J. T. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 1994
  25. Kingsbury, J. M. Poisonous plants of the United States and Canada. 1964
  26. Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. Flora SSSR. 1934-1964
  27. Mabberley, D. J. The plant-book: a portable dictionary of the vascular plants, ed. 2. 1997
  28. Magness, J. R. et al. Food and feed crops of the United States. IR Bull. 1. 1971
  29. Markle, G. M. et al., eds. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2. 1998
  30. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000
  31. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000
  32. Moerman, D. Native American ethnobotany, ed. 5. 1998
  33. Mun-Chan, B. et al. 1986. A checklist of the Korean cultivated plants. Kulturpflanze 34:105.
  34. Parrotta, J. A. Healing plants of peninsular India. 2001
  35. Peirce, A. The American Pharmaceutical Association practical guide to natural medicines. 1999
  36. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  37. Rehm, S. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants. 1994
  38. Rogers, C. M. 1984. Linaceae. North American flora ser. 1, 1905-1957; ser. 2, 1954-1972 ser. 2, 12:7.
  39. Townsend, C. C. & E. Guest. Flora of Iraq. 1966-
  40. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. Flora europaea. 1964-1980
  41. Uphof, J. C. T. Dictionary of economic plants, ed. 2. 1968
  42. Van Wyk, B.-E. & M. Wink. Medicinal plants of the world. 2004
  43. Vibrans, H., ed. Malezas de México (on-line resource).
  44. Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. World economic plants: a standard reference (on-line edition) [medicinal plants only].
  45. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. Flora of China (English edition). 1994-
  46. Yen, Kun-Ying. Illustrated Chinese materia medica: crude drugs. 1980
  47. PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Common names
English
flax –
linseed –
Arabic
kettan –
French
lin –
German
Flachs –
Saatlein –
Italian
lino –
Portuguese
linhaça –
linho –
Spanish
lino –
Swahili
kitani –
Swedish
lin –
Transcribed Chinese
ya ma –
Transcribed Korean
ama –
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNote
2Cultivated     
Cultivated ()
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Animal foodfodder Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. Flora SSSR. 1934-1964
Food additivesgelling agent PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Food additivesstabilizer PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Human foodoil/fat PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Human foodseeds PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Materialsfiber Diederichsen, A. & K. Hammer. 1994. Variation of cultivated flax (Linum usitatissimum L. subsp.usitatissimum) and its wild progenitor pale flax (subsp.angustifolium (Huds.) Thell.). Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 42:253.
Materialslipids Diederichsen, A. & K. Hammer. 1994. Variation of cultivated flax (Linum usitatissimum L. subsp.usitatissimum) and its wild progenitor pale flax (subsp.angustifolium (Huds.) Thell.). Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 42:253.
Medicinesfolklore McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000
Vertebrate poisonsmammals Cooper, M. R. & A. W. Johnson. Poisonous plants and fungi in Britain: animal and human poisoning. 1998
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2025. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://ausgenebank.agriculture.vic.gov.au/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=22361. Accessed 16 December 2025.

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