Flax Flax Flax ("Linum usitatissimum"), also known as common flax or linseed, is a member of the genus "Linum" in the family Linaceae. It is a food and fiber crop cultivated in cooler regions of the world. The textiles made from flax are known in the Western countries as linen, and traditionally used for bed sheets, underclothes, and table linen. The oil is known as linseed oil. In addition to referring to the plant itself, the word "flax" may refer to the unspun fibers of the flax plant. The plant species is known only as a cultivated plant, and appears to
Vavilovian mimicry that lives with flax". Weeding of the adult plant is impractical; instead they are separated based on properties of the seed. This is done by a winnowing machine, which in this case acts as an inanimate signal receiver. Seeds that are thrown the same distance as flax seeds have thus been selected for, making it near impossible to separate the seeds of these two species. Another example is rye ("Secale cereale"), a grass which is derived from wild rye ("Secale montanum"), a widely distributed Mediterranean species. Rye was originally just a weed growing with wheat and barley, but came under