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Linum usitatissimum, the cultivated flax, belongs to the Linaceae family. Annual or biennial depending on the forms, its exact origin is ancient and complex: domesticated for at least 8,000 years in the Near East from Linum bienne, it is now cultivated or naturalized in much of the temperate northern hemisphere. It is found escaped from cultivation in meadows, wastelands, roadsides, and disturbed grounds.
It raises its thin and flexible stems to 60-80 cm, bearing narrow, lanceolate foliage of a glaucous green. The flowers, of a very pale blue tending towards lavender, have five broadly rounded petals traversed by more pronounced blue veins, clearly visible, radiating from the center to the edges. Each flower lasts only a morning, but the flowering is abundant and continuous. In its natural habitat, it extends from June to August.
A utilitarian plant among the oldest in human history, flax has simultaneously provided textile fibers and edible oil. The retted stems yielded flax fiber; the pressed seeds produced linseed oil, still used in painting and carpentry. Its seeds remain consumed today for their nutritional properties.
Easy to cultivate, it prefers well-drained, fresh soil, and a sunny exposure. It is sown directly in place in the spring and readily reseeds itself from year to year in wildflower meadows and naturalistic gardens.