Flax (Linum usitatissimum)


Linum usitatissimum
Photographed October 22 with a Canon PowerShot SX150 IS.

The species name usitatissimum literally means that this is the most commonly used species of flax, and so it is—the source of real linen and flaxseed oil, as well as the source of the purest blue in the cottage garden. It has established itself as an occasional volunteer, especially in areas where it might have been grown commercially at one time: these plants were growing at the edge of a cornfield in Findlay Township.

Flax

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