Native Flax
Linum marginale
Tall, slender perennial herb with upright, wiry branches and sprays of small light blue flowers.
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Flora Type | Herbs |
| Distinctive Features | Wiry stems are hard to snap. |
| Biology | Perennial. Widespread in moist well-drained soils in grasslands and woodlands but only occasionally common. Dies back over summer and respouts in autumn. |
| Native Status | Native |
| Flowering Time | Sep-Mar |
| Taxonomy | |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants) |
| Class | Magnoliopsida (Flowering Plants) |
| Order | Malpighiales |
| Family | Linaceae |
| Genus | Linum |
| Species | marginale |
This species is from the flax family Linaceae. Wild flax has been used in Europe since the Upper Paleolithic, and was used by Aboriginal people as fibre. The seeds were used as food.
| Interesting Facts | |
|---|---|
| Similar Species | Can be mistaken for blue-flowered Wahlenbergia species at first glance. The yellow-flowered and smaller Linum trigynum is a common weed. |
| Native Status | Native |