Linaceae

Common flax ( Linum usitatissimum )

The Flax ( Linaceae ) is a flowering plant family ( Magnoliopsida ). There are about 10 to 16 kinds with approximately 290 species.

Description

Appearance and leaves

The types of Flax are usually herbaceous plants, rarely woody plants: vines, shrubs or rarely trees.

The always undivided, sessile leaves are alternate or opposite and usually spirally arranged. The leaf margins are smooth or serrated. They often possess no side leaves when they are present, they are small.

Inflorescences, flowers and fruits

In zymös branched inflorescences partial inflorescences of different design are summarized.

The hermaphrodite, radial symmetry flowers are usually fünfzählig. The five sepals are sometimes fused at the base. The five petals are free. There are one, two, or very rarely three circles, each provided with five stamens, part of which is often converted to staminodes. Two to five carpels are fused into a superior ovaries.

It is within this family many different fruit types formed (see subfamilies).

Systematics and distribution

The Linaceae family includes species from the permafrost zone to the tropics on almost worldwide.

It divides the Linaceae into two subfamilies, the Linoideae and Hugonioideae. There are a total of about 10 to 16 genera with about 290 to 300 species.

• Linoideae: The Linoideae are mostly herbaceous plants with narrow leaves and usually only form of capsule fruits. We distinguish six to eight genera with about 240 species: Anisadenia Wall. ex Meisn. With only two species from northeastern India, Bhutan, Nepal, northern Myanmar, northern Thailand and China (both species) spread.
• Cliococca Bab. They contain only one type: Cliococca selaginoides ( Lam.) CMRogers & Mildner: It is common in South America.

• Dwarf - flax ( Radiola linoides Roth): It is widespread in Eurasia and North Africa.

• Reinwardtia indica Dumort. ( Syn: Reinwardtia trigyna ( Reichenb. ) Planchon ): It is distributed from the Indian subcontinent over Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam to China.

• Sclerolinon digynum ( A. Gray ) CMRogers: It is distributed in the central and western America.

• Hugonioideae: The Hugonioideae ( syn.. Hugoniaceae Arn ) are mostly woody plants which have very wide leaves and form a stone fruit juice or other fruit types. It contains four to eight genera with about 61 species: Hebepetalum Benth. , The three to six species are widespread in the Neotropics.
• Hugonia L.: The 15 to 32 species are widespread in the tropics.
• Indorouchera Hallier f: spread with one to three species in Southeast Asia.
• Philbornea Hallier f: The one to three species occur in Borneo and the Philippines.
• Roucheria Planch. , The five to eight species from tropical South America spread.

Swell

• The family Linaceae in APWebsite. (English)
• Description in the Flora of Pakistan. (English)
• Quanru Liu Lihua & Zhou: Linaceae, pp. 34 - text Registered as printed work, Wu Zheng -yi, Peter H. Raven & Deyuan Hong (eds.): Flora of China, Volume 11 - Oxalidaceae through Aceraceae, Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing and St. Louis, 2008. ISBN 978-1-930723-73-3 (description and identification key of the Chinese taxa. )
• Description in the Western Australian flora. (English)
• Description of Linaceae s.str family. at DELTA. (English)
• Description of Hugoniaceae family at DELTA. (English)
• Linaceae in the Germplasm Resources Information Network ( GRIN), USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.