{"id":1171,"date":"2025-06-22T22:29:33","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T20:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spinningstories.uni-ak.ac.at\/?p=1171"},"modified":"2026-04-13T17:50:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T15:50:47","slug":"plant-profile-flax-linum-usitatissimum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spinningstories.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php\/2025\/06\/22\/plant-profile-flax-linum-usitatissimum\/","title":{"rendered":"Plant Profile – Flax (Linum usitatissimum)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Karin Altmann<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Following pollination, flax develops small, round seed capsules, each containing several glossy, flat seeds commonly known as flaxseeds or linseeds. These seeds are rich in oil, particularly alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid), making them highly valued for nutritional and industrial purposes. Flaxseed is widely consumed in foods and processed into flaxseed oil, which is used both as a dietary supplement and in products like paints, varnishes, and wood finishes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Flax (Linum usitatissimum<\/em>), whose species name means \u201cmost useful\u201d, is one of humanity\u2019s oldest cultivated plants, valued for both its fibres and seeds. Belonging to the Linaceae family, flax is an annual herbaceous plant that has been grown for thousands of years across regions of Europe, Asia, and the Mediterranean. Archaeological evidence suggests its use dates back to ancient civilizations such as Egypt, where it was used to produce linen textiles. The oldest finds (488 flax fibres including presumably 58 dyed fibres) come from Georgia and are dated to 36,000\u201331,000 years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Botanically, flax is a slender, upright plant that typically reaches heights up to 100 centimeters. It has narrow, lance-shaped leaves that are arranged alternately along delicate stems. The plant produces attractive, pale blue flowers (though some varieties may have white flowers), each with five petals. These flowers are short-lived, blooming for just a single day, but the plant continues to produce new blossoms over several weeks during its flowering period.<\/p>\n

Flax is typically grown in temperate climates and prefers well-drained soils with moderate fertility. It is a cool-season crop, often planted in early spring and harvested in late summer (100 days after seeding). The cultivation method differs depending on whether the crop is intended for fibre or seed production. Fibre flax is sown densely to encourage tall, straight stems with minimal branching, which yield high-quality fibers for linen. In contrast, flax grown for seed is spaced more widely to promote branching and increased seed production.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The fibers of flax are extracted from the plant\u2019s stem through a process known as retting, followed by breaking, hackling, and spinning. These fibres are then woven into linen, a textile known for its strength, breathability, and natural luster.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition to its economic importance, flax also has ecological benefits. It requires relatively few chemical inputs compared to other crops and can be integrated into crop rotation systems to improve soil health. Furthermore, nearly every part of the plant can be utilized, minimizing agricultural waste.<\/p>\n

Flax is a versatile and historically significant plant that continues to play an important role in agriculture, nutrition, and industry. Its dual-purpose nature, as both a source of durable fiber and nutrient-rich seeds, makes it a valuable crop with enduring relevance in modern sustainable practices.<\/p>\n

Europe is considered the cradle of flax cultivation, and thus the use of the fibre also has its roots here. Two-thirds of total flax production still takes place in European countries on approximately 100,000 hectares. Optimal conditions for flax cultivation are found primarily in the coastal regions of northern France, Belgium and Netherlands. These countries lead the world in the cultivation of flax for fibre, and produce the highest quality fibres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Karin Altmann Following pollination, flax develops small, round seed capsules, each containing several glossy, flat seeds commonly known as flaxseeds or linseeds. These seeds are rich in oil, particularly alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid), making them highly valued for nutritional and industrial purposes. Flaxseed is widely consumed in foods and processed into flaxseed oil, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1334,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fibre-research","category-plant-profile"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spinningstories.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spinningstories.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spinningstories.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spinningstories.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spinningstories.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1171"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/spinningstories.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1351,"href":"https:\/\/spinningstories.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1171\/revisions\/1351"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spinningstories.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spinningstories.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spinningstories.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spinningstories.uni-ak.ac.at\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}