Flax
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| Species | Linum usitatissimum |
|---|---|
| Category | tall grass |
| Growing area | cooler temperate regions |
| Range | Global |
Flax is useful in very many ways. The Latin species name usitatissimum means "most useful", pointing to the many traditional uses of the plant and their importance for human life.
Uses
- The fibers are spun to make linen thread.
- The seeds, separated and pressed, the seeds produce linseed oil. which is used for waterproofing cloth tarps. Because it oxidizes readily, it is also used as a paint substrate. Combined with cork, sawdust, and chalk and applied to a cloth backing, it forms linoleum, a waterproof floor surface known colloquially as linoleum.
Cultivation
Wikipedia offers:
The soils most suitable for flax, besides the alluvial kind, are deep loams, and containing a large proportion of organic matter. Heavy clays are unsuitable, as are soils of a gravelly or dry sandy nature. Farming flax requires few fertilizers or pesticides. Within 8 weeks of sowing, the plant will reach 10–15 cm in height, and will grow several centimeters per day under its optimal growth conditions, reaching 70–80 cm within fifteen days.