Flax health of linseed oil. Eventually, Flanders became the major center of the linen industry in the European Middle Ages. In North America, flax was introduced by the colonists and it flourished there, but by the early 20th century, cheap cotton and rising farm wages had caused production of flax to become concentrated in northern Russia, which came to provide 90% of the world's output. Since then, flax has lost its importance as a commercial crop, due to the easy availability of more durable fibres. Flax is grown for its seeds, which can be ground into a meal or turned into
Apocynum cannabinum ("Hemaris diffinis") and hummingbird clearwing ("Hemaris thysbe") moths. These moths are pollinators that resemble small hummingbirds. The plant can be used for various purposes. The most used parts are the seeds, the root, and the bark. A very strong and good quality fiber obtained from the bark is a flax substitute that does not shrink and retains its strength in water. It is used for making clothes, twine and cordage, bags, linen, paper, and more. When harvested for fiber, dogbane is often left standing as late as mid-winter so that rain and snow will perform retting. The plant yields a