Flaxseed

Botanical Name: Linum usitatissimum.

Family Linaceae

Other Common Names: Linseed, chih-ma, common flax, flax, flax weed, lint bells, toad flax, uma, winterlien.

Habitat: Flax is thought to have originated in Egypt and was found from the Mediterranean to India. However, it is one of the oldest cultivated plants known and has been found during the excavation of ancient Egyptian tombs. Today, it is cultivated around most of the world since it is not only valued for its nutritional and medicinal uses, but it is also used in the making of cloth, paper, and other useful products. Flax prefers deep, moist soils that are rich in sand, silt, and clay.

Description: The plant is a small herbaceous annual with a single stem that reaches a maximum of 4 feet in height. The stalk has alternating rows of linear, inch-long leaves. Flax blossoms have…