Flax ( Linum usitatissimum ) is a flowering plant cultivated for its fiber and nutritious seeds. The fiber is used to make linen yarn and fabric, while the seeds, known as flaxseed or linseed, are used to produce linseed oil. Flax is an adaptable plant that thrives in well-drained sandy loam and temperate climates. When grown for fiber, flax plants average 3 to 4 feet in height, with slender stalks. The flowers have five petals and are usually blue, but can sometimes be white or pink. Flaxseed has gained popularity as a health food due to its high dietary fiber and omega-3 fatty acid content. Linseed oil also has health benefits and various industrial applications.

Where is flax commonly grown?

Flax is cultivated for its fiber (linen) and nutritious seeds (flaxseed or linseed). While its value as a fiber crop has decreased due to synthetic alternatives, flaxseed's popularity as a health food has sustained its economic importance. Flax grows best in well-drained sandy loam and temperate climates and is adaptable to a variety of soils and climates. Major flax-producing countries include China, Russia, and Canada. To prevent soil depletion, planting flax in the same area is typically limited to once every six years. Cool, moist growing seasons yield the best fiber.

What does the flax plant look like?

Flax ( Linum usitatissimum ) is an annual herbaceous plant that is cultivated for its fiber and nutritious seeds. When flax is grown densely for its fiber, the plant grows to an average of 0.9 to 1.2 meters (3 to 4 feet) in height. It has slender stalks that are 2.5 to 4 mm (about 0.10 to 0.15 inch) in diameter, with branches concentrated at the top. If cultivated for its seed, the plant is shorter with many branches. The leaves alternate on the stalk and are small and lance-shaped. Flax flowers grow on stems from the branch tips and have five petals that are usually blue, but can sometimes be white or pink. The fruits are small dry capsules with five lobes.

How is flax used by people?

People use the flax plant in many ways. Its seeds, called flaxseed, are consumed as a health food because they are high in dietary fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. Flaxseed can be eaten raw or toasted, ground or whole, and added to salads, cereals, smoothies, or baked goods. Linseed oil , made from flax seeds, is used as a nutritional supplement and in cooking. Lower grades of linseed oil have industrial applications in paints, printing inks, linoleum, and varnish. Additionally, the plant's fiber is made into linen fabrics for clothing and household furnishings. Lower grades of flax fiber are used to make canvas, twine, and fishnets.

Why is flax important for making linen fabric?

Flax is important for making linen fabric due to its unique fiber properties. As one of the oldest textile fibers, flax boasts strength, luster, durability, and moisture absorbency. Linen's resistance to microorganisms and its smooth surface that repels dirt add to its value. The process of extracting flax fibers involves retting, drying, crushing, and beating the stalks. Garments made of linen have a cooling effect because the fabric absorbs and releases moisture quickly and is a good conductor of heat. Though dyeing can be difficult, linen can be bleached to a pure white.

What are the health and nutritional benefits of flax seeds?

Flaxseeds have been recognized as a superfood due to their nutritional properties. They are a rich source of the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and are high in lignans, a class of phytoestrogens. In addition to ALA and lignans, flaxseeds are high in dietary fiber, protein, and an assortment of minerals, including iron, calcium, manganese, thiamin, magnesium, phosphorus, and copper. Flaxseeds can be eaten raw or toasted, and they can be ground or added whole to salads, cereals, smoothies, or baked goods. Linseed oil, which is derived from flaxseeds, can be taken as a nutritional supplement or used in cooking.

flax

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Images

Cluster of blooming flax plants, Linum usitatissimum, with delicate blue flowers and yellow centers against a blurred green background.

Beige linen textile with twisted fringe tassels along the edge, displayed against a matching fabric background.

Tall green flax plants growing in a field in Normandy, with rows of harvested flax lying on the ground in the foreground.

Quick Facts

Related Topics:: flaxseed; linseed oil; bast fiber; Linen; Linum

On the Web:: University of Wisconsin-Madison - Division of Extension - Crops and Soils - Flax (Oct. 30, 2026)

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flax

plant

Also known as: Linum usitatissimum, common flax

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 30, 2026 •History

Top Questions

What is flax?
Flax (Linum usitatissimum) is a flowering plant cultivated for its fiber and nutritious seeds. The fiber is used to make linen yarn and fabric, while the seeds, known as flaxseed or linseed, are used to produce linseed oil.

Flax is an adaptable plant that thrives in well-drained sandy loam and temperate climates. When grown for fiber, flax plants average 3 to 4 feet in height, with slender stalks. The flowers have five petals and are usually blue, but can sometimes be white or pink.
Flaxseed has gained popularity as a health food due to its high dietary fiber and omega-3 fatty acid content. Linseed oil also has health benefits and various industrial applications.
4 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Where is flax commonly grown?
Flax is cultivated for its fiber (linen) and nutritious seeds (flaxseed or linseed). While its value as a fiber crop has decreased due to synthetic alternatives, flaxseed's popularity as a health food has sustained its economic importance.

Flax grows best in well-drained sandy loam and temperate climates and is adaptable to a variety of soils and climates. Major flax-producing countries include China, Russia, and Canada. To prevent soil depletion, planting flax in the same area is typically limited to once every six years. Cool, moist growing seasons yield the best fiber.
1 Britannica Source
1. flax: Physical description
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What does the flax plant look like?
Flax (Linum usitatissimum) is an annual herbaceous plant that is cultivated for its fiber and nutritious seeds. When flax is grown densely for its fiber, the plant grows to an average of 0.9 to 1.2 meters (3 to 4 feet) in height. It has slender stalks that are 2.5 to 4 mm (about 0.10 to 0.15 inch) in diameter, with branches concentrated at the top. If cultivated for its seed, the plant is shorter with many branches.

The leaves alternate on the stalk and are small and lance-shaped. Flax flowers grow on stems from the branch tips and have five petals that are usually blue, but can sometimes be white or pink. The fruits are small dry capsules with five lobes.
1 Britannica Source
1. flax: Physical description
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How is flax used by people?
People use the flax plant in many ways. Its seeds, called flaxseed, are consumed as a health food because they are high in dietary fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. Flaxseed can be eaten raw or toasted, ground or whole, and added to salads, cereals, smoothies, or baked goods.

Linseed oil, made from flax seeds, is used as a nutritional supplement and in cooking. Lower grades of linseed oil have industrial applications in paints, printing inks, linoleum, and varnish. Additionally, the plant's fiber is made into linen fabrics for clothing and household furnishings. Lower grades of flax fiber are used to make canvas, twine, and fishnets.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Why is flax important for making linen fabric?
Flax is important for making linen fabric due to its unique fiber properties. As one of the oldest textile fibers, flax boasts strength, luster, durability, and moisture absorbency. Linen's resistance to microorganisms and its smooth surface that repels dirt add to its value. The process of extracting flax fibers involves retting, drying, crushing, and beating the stalks. Garments made of linen have a cooling effect because the fabric absorbs and releases moisture quickly and is a good conductor of heat. Though dyeing can be difficult, linen can be bleached to a pure white.
2 Britannica Sources
1. linen
2. flax: Textile fiber
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What are the health and nutritional benefits of flax seeds?
Flaxseeds have been recognized as a superfood due to their nutritional properties. They are a rich source of the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and are high in lignans, a class of phytoestrogens. In addition to ALA and lignans, flaxseeds are high in dietary fiber, protein, and an assortment of minerals, including iron, calcium, manganese, thiamin, magnesium, phosphorus, and copper.

Flaxseeds can be eaten raw or toasted, and they can be ground or added whole to salads, cereals, smoothies, or baked goods. Linseed oil, which is derived from flaxseeds, can be taken as a nutritional supplement or used in cooking.
2 Britannica Sources
1. flaxseed
2. flax: Flaxseed
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

flax, (Linum usitatissimum), flowering plant cultivated both for its fiber, from which linen yarn and fabric are made, and for its nutritious seeds, called flaxseed or linseed, from which linseed oil is obtained. Though flax has lost some of its value as a commercial fiber crop owing to the availability of synthetic fibers, flaxseed has grown in popularity as a health food, and flax remains economically significant in a number of countries around the world, including China, Russia, and Canada.

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Angiosperm
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Linaceae
Genus: Linum

See also list of plant fibers

Physical description

Flax is a herbaceous annual. When densely planted for fiber, plants average 0.9 to 1.2 meters (3 to 4 feet) in height, with slender stalks 2.5 to 4 mm (about 0.10 to 0.15 inch) in diameter and with branches concentrated at the top. Plants cultivated for seed are shorter and many-branched. The leaves, alternating on the stalk, are small and lance-shaped. The flowers, borne on stems growing from the branch tips, have five petals, usually blue in color but sometimes white or pink. The fruits are small dry capsules composed of five lobes.

BelarusHarvesting flax near Hrodna, in western Belarus.

The plant is adaptable to a variety of soils and climates but grows best in well-drained sandy loam and in temperate climates. In most areas planting of the same land with flax is limited to once in six years to avoid soil exhaustion. Cool moist growing seasons produce the most-desirable fiber.

Venus's-flytrap. Venus's-flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) one of the best known of the meat-eating plants. Carnivorous plant, Venus flytrap, Venus fly trap

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Textile fiber

A bast fiber, flax is one of the oldest textile fibers. Evidence of its use has been found in the prehistoric lake dwellings of Switzerland. Fine linen fabrics, indicating a high degree of skill, have been discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs. Phoenician traders apparently brought linen from the Mediterranean area to Gaul and Britain, and the Romans introduced linen manufacture throughout their empire. In the 17th century the German states and Russia were major sources of raw material, and the linen industry was established in the Netherlands, Ireland, England, and Scotland. In North America the expansion of the cotton industry reduced the importance of linen.

Harvesting the fiber usually takes place after the lower portion of the stalk has turned yellow but before the fruit is fully mature. The fiber is obtained by subjecting the stalks to a series of operations, including retting (the use of moisture and microorganisms to dissolve the tissues surrounding the fibers), drying, crushing, and beating.

fiber color ranges from buff to gray, with the best qualities creamy white. The fiber strands, which measure about 30 to 75 cm (12 to 30 inches) long, are made up of individual cylindrically shaped sclerenchyma cells with fairly smooth surfaces. Fine grades of flax fibers are made into woven fabrics and laces for apparel and household furnishings. Lower grades are used for products requiring strength and the ability to withstand moisture—such as canvas, twine, fire hoses, bagging, industrial sewing thread, and fish nets.

Linen is valued for its strength, luster, durability, and moisture absorbency. It is resistant to attack by microorganisms, and its smooth surface repels dirt. It is stronger than cotton, dries more quickly, and is more slowly affected by exposure to sunlight. It can be bleached to a pure white but dyeing is somewhat difficult because the fibers are not readily penetrated. Although linen increases in strength when wet, the excessive use of alkalies in laundering can weaken the fibers. Low elasticity, imparting hard, smooth texture, also makes linen subject to wrinkling, which can be reduced by chemical treatment. Because linen absorbs and releases moisture quickly and is a good conductor of heat, linen garments have a cooling effect on the wearer.

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Flaxseed

Flaxseed is a rich source of the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and is high in a class of phytoestrogens known as lignans. It is also high in dietary fiber, protein, iron, calcium, manganese, thiamin, magnesium, phosphorus, and copper. The seeds can be eaten raw or toasted; added ground or whole to salads, morning cereal, and smoothies; or incorporated into baked goods.

Linseed oil, derived from the seeds, is used in the production of paints, printing inks, linoleum, varnish, and oilcloth. It has the highest level of ALA of any vegetable oil, and food-grade linseed oil is sometimes taken as a nutritional supplement. It also can be used in cooking, though it is somewhat unstable and goes rancid quickly.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.

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Textile fiber

Flaxseed