Linum strictum
Linum strictum, commonly known as rigid flax, upright flax, and upright yellow flax, is a species of flax with a rigid stem, from whence it derives its taxonomic name, growing to a height of 10–45 cm. The plant is endemic to the Mediterranean region, as well as native to Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Crimea, Albania, Portugal, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Madeira, the Canary Islands, the Transcaucasus, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, and northwest India. It features highly in classical Hebrew and Greek literature, owing principally to its cultivation for its plant fiber, linen, but also for its edible seeds and culinary foliage.
Habitat
Linum strictum prefers well-lighted habitats, mostly in dry hills, sandy and rocky places, and vineyards. Its range is from southern Europe and North Africa, all along the Mediterranean as far as the Levant, and east to Afghanistan and Iran.Description
Linum strictum is a therophyte, one of many annual plants that complete their lives rapidly in favorable conditions and survive the unfavorable cold or dry season in the form of seeds. In the Levant, the plant blossoms between February and May; the flowers being of a light yellow colour, each bearing 5 sepals and 5 petals, with 5 stamens, and having a gynoecium bearing five connected styles running lengthwise. Its stigmas are capitate, resembling the head of a pin. The plant bears ovate-lanceolate leaves, with margins minutely serrulate, very rough, often inrolled.The fruit is a symmetrical drum-shaped capsule, remaining dry as it rests closely against the mother plant for many months, until the seeds therein gradually scatter.
The species is divided into the following subspecies: Linum strictum subsp. spicatum, which grows chiefly in Cyprus, Linum strictum subsp. strictum, and Linum strictum subsp. racemosum.