Kingdom: Plantae
(Unranked): Angiosperms
(Unranked): Eudicots
(Unranked): Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Linaceae
Genus: Linum
Species: L. bienne
Binomial name: Linum bienne
Common names: Pale flax, Australian flax, Narrow leaved flax, Small flowered Flax,
Linum bienne is a dicot flowering plant in the genus Linum, native to the Mediterranean region and Western Europe, north to England and Ireland. Naturalised in New Zealand in the 1870s.
The Pale Flax grows as a biennial or perennial plant in dry, sunny calcareous or neutral grasslands from sea level up to 1000 metres. Widespread throughout New Zealand on roadsides, open waste places and riverbeds.
It has long, narrow stems up to 60 cm tall and slender leaves 1.5-2.5 cm long.
The flowers have five petals about 1 cm long and nearly round; they can be white, pale blue, Violet / Purple and are streaked with darker colour. It flowers October, November and in more temperate areas through the summer. The flowers are hermaphrodite and are pollinated by bees and wasps.
The Pale Flax has been considered as a possible wild forebear of the cultivated Common Flax, and a fibre can be made from its stem.
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
