Flax linseed oil, a product used as a nutritional supplement and as an ingredient in many wood-finishing products. Flax is also grown as an ornamental plant in gardens. Moreover, flax fibers are used to make linen. The Latin name of the species, "usitatissimum," means "most useful". Flax fibers taken from the stem of the plant are two to three times as strong as cotton fibers. Additionally, flax fibers are naturally smooth and straight. Europe and North America both depended on flax for plant-based cloth until the 19th century, when cotton overtook flax as the most common plant for making rag-based paper.
Flax weevil Flax weevil The flax weevil ("Anagotus fairburni") is a large flightless weevil. It was discovered by E. Fairburn in 1931 on D'Urville Island. The weevil is known to live on New Zealand flax ("Phormium tenax"), feeding on leaves, where it produces a characteristic feeding notch. The weevil is a large, nocturnal, flightless weevil ranging in length from 20 to 25mm. Although considered a coastal species, the flax weevil has been found in the Tararua Range on Phormium cookianum, a mountain flax. It is possible that other remnant populations survive in other mountain ranges. However, due to predation by mammals, it