Linum usitatissimum
| Flax | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Flax plant | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Linaceae |
| Genus: | Linum |
| Species: | L. usitatissimum |
| Binomial name | |
|
Linum usitatissimum L. |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
|
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 2,234 kJ (534 kcal) |
|
28.88 g
|
|
| Sugars | 1.55 g |
| Dietary fiber | 27.3 g |
|
42.16 g
|
|
| Saturated | 3.663 g |
| Monounsaturated | 7.527 g |
| Polyunsaturated | 28.730 g
22.8 g
5.9 g
|
|
18.29 g
|
|
| Vitamins | |
| Thiamine (B1) |
(143%)
1.644 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) |
(13%)
0.161 mg |
| Niacin (B3) |
(21%)
3.08 mg |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) |
(20%)
0.985 mg |
| Vitamin B6 |
(36%)
0.473 mg |
| Folate (B9) |
(0%)
0 μg |
| Vitamin C |
(1%)
0.6 mg |
| Minerals | |
| Calcium |
(26%)
255 mg |
| Iron |
(44%)
5.73 mg |
| Magnesium |
(110%)
392 mg |
| Phosphorus |
(92%)
642 mg |
| Potassium |
(17%)
813 mg |
| Zinc |
(46%)
4.34 mg |
|
|
|
|
|
| Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database |
|
Flax (also known as common flax or linseed), Linum usitatissimum, is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is a food and fiber crop cultivated in cooler regions of the world. The textiles made from flax are known in the Western countries as linen, and traditionally used for bed sheets, underclothes, and table linen. The oil is known as linseed oil. In addition to referring to the plant itself, the word "flax" may refer to the unspun fibers of the flax plant. The plant species is known only as a cultivated plant, and appears to have been domesticated just once from the wild species Linum bienne, called pale flax.
Several other species in the genus Linum are similar in appearance to L. usitatissimum, cultivated flax, including some that have similar blue flowers, and others with white, yellow, or red flowers. Some of these are perennial plants, unlike L. usitatissimum, which is an annual plant.
Cultivated flax plants grow to 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) tall, with slender stems. The leaves are glaucous green, slender lanceolate, 20–40 mm long, and 3 mm broad.
The flowers are pure pale blue, 15–25 mm in diameter, with five petals. The fruit is a round, dry capsule 5–9 mm in diameter, containing several glossy brown seeds shaped like an apple pip, 4–7 mm long.
The earliest evidence of humans using wild flax as a textile comes from the present day Republic of Georgia, where spun, dyed, and knotted wild flax fibers were found in Dzudzuana Cave and dated to the Upper Paleolithic, 30,000 years ago. Flax was first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent region. Evidence exists of a domesticated oilseed flax with increased seed size by 9,000 years ago from Tell Ramad in Syria. Use of the crop steadily spread, reaching as far as Switzerland and Germany by 5,000 years ago. In China and India, domesticated flax was cultivated also by at least 5,000 years ago.
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Wikipedia