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Common Name: Perennial Flax

General Information

Linum perenne is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.30 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

The raw seed contains cyanide and should not be eaten raw[]. The cooked seed is perfectly safe[].

Botanical References

Range

Europe. Western N. America.

Habitat

Calcareous grassland[]. Prairies to alpine ridges, usually on dry well-drained soils in Western N. America[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Bees, Flies
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a light dry well-drained moderately fertile humus-rich soil in a sunny sheltered position[]. Prefers an alkaline soil. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
A very ornamental plant[], it is not generally very long-lived though it normally self-sows freely[].
The sub-species lewisii (which is seen as a separate species by some botanists or as no more than a synonym of this species by others) is more desirable for its fibre and has been cultivated by the N. American Indians for this purpose[].

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked[, , ]. A pleasant nutty taste and very nutritious[]. The seed has a high oil content and can be eaten on its own or used as a flavouring[, ]. It should not be eaten raw because it contains cyanide but this is destroyed in the cooking process[].

Medicinal

The plant is antirheumatic, carminative and stomachic[, ].
The oil in the seed has soothing and lubricating properties, and is used in medicines to soothe tonsillitis, sore throats, coughs, colds, constipation, gravel and stones[]. When mixed with an equal quantity of lime water it is used to treat burns and scalds[].
A poultice of the fresh crushed leaves has been used to treat eye problems[, ].
A tincture of the entire plant is used in the treatment of diarrhoea[].
The fresh herb is boiled and taken internally for the treatment of rheumatic pains, heartburn, colds, coughs and dropsy[, ]. A poultice of the plant is applied to bruises to reduce the swelling[].
The seeds are emollient[]. An eye medicine is made from them[].
An infusion of the roots is used as an eyewash[].

Other Uses

A drying oil is obtained from the seed. Used mainly for lighting[], though it could also be used in all the ways that linseed oil (from Linum usitatissimum) is used - in paints, varnishes etc[].
An infusion of the whole plant is used as a hair and skin wash[]. It is said to be very beneficial to the skin and also to help prevent hair loss[].
A good fibre is obtained from the stems, it is inferior to flax (Linum usitatissimum)[] but is used for making cloth, nets, string, baskets, mats etc and in paper making[, , , , , ]. When used for paper making, the stems are harvested in late summer or autumn when they are two thirds yellow and are then retted[]. The fibre is then stripped from the stem, cooked for two hours or more with lye and then beaten in a Hollander beater[].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Basal cuttings in spring. Harvest the shoots when they are about 8 - 10cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.