What do we know about flax as a culture

Tell us what flax looks like? Once, walking with a child in the park, we came across a rather tall bush with blue flowers. A woman passing by said it was flax blossoms. Even from school, I remember that the plant has blue-blue flowers, but I was embarrassed by the fact that it was at the end of summer, and I always thought that flax was already fading by this time.

The warm climate and fertile land of our homeland create favorable conditions for growing on an industrial scale not only cereals, but also many other crops. So, in central Russia, you can often find whole fields that look like a giant blue cloud from afar. This flax bloom is one of the ancient plants that is known for its oil-bearing and spring qualities. It is from flax stalks that special fiber is obtained for the manufacture of natural fabric, and the seeds are raw materials for obtaining flour and oils.

What does flax look like?

This annual plant grows in a rather large, but rare bush. The average height is 60 cm, but there are also taller species "growing" up to 1.5 m. The central stem itself is straight and thin. The bulk of numerous small lanceolate leaves is located in its lower part, while at the top, the shoot forms lateral branches. The leaves are light green and covered with a barely noticeable waxy coating.

The fresh aerial part of the plant is poisonous and cannot be used for internal use.

The root system of flax is pivotal; the central root is thin, but not too long, and is white. In the upper part, the lateral ramifications are slightly larger; at the bottom, the stem is overgrown with many small root-threads.

How does flax bloom?

In early summer, unprepossessing-looking bushes are transformed when delicate flowers bloom on long peduncles. They are not too large, from 1.5 to 2.4 cm in diameter, collected in thyroid racemes, consist of five wide petals with rounded edges.

The color of flax inflorescences depends on the specific variety. Most often, species with blue and blue flowers are grown, but there is also flax, which blooms with white, pink and red-purple inflorescences.

Flax has long flowering and lasts all summer.

How does flax bear fruit?

At the beginning of autumn, in place of the buds, fruits begin to ripen - small, up to 8 mm long, capsules in the form of a ball with false partitions, inside which small seeds are formed. Seeds are usually no more than 10 pieces, and they themselves are flat and shiny, with a sharp top, brownish in color.

Flax seeds are very useful, they contain fatty oil, protein substances, mucus and many other valuable substances, thanks to which the seeds are used both in cooking and in folk medicine.

Video on how to grow flax on your site