Linseed oil Linseed oil Linseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil or flax oil, is a colourless to yellowish oil obtained from the dried, ripened seeds of the flax plant ("Linum usitatissimum"). The oil is obtained by pressing, sometimes followed by solvent extraction. Linseed oil is a drying oil, meaning it can polymerize into a solid form. Owing to its polymer-forming properties, linseed oil can be used on its own or blended with combinations of other oils, resins or solvents as an impregnator, drying oil finish or varnish in wood finishing, as a pigment binder in oil paints, as a plasticizer and
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