Editing Linum bienne

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{italic title}}
{{speciesbox
|name = Pale flax
|image = Flower March 2008-13 edit.jpg
|genus = Linum
|species = bienne
|authority = [[Philip Miller|Mill.]]
|synonyms =
{{Plainlist | style = margin-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em; |
*''Adenolinum angustifolium'' <small>(Huds.) Rchb.</small>
*''Cathartolinum agreste'' <small>Rchb.</small>
*''Linum angustifolium'' <small>Huds.</small>
}}
|synonyms_ref = <ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2348601
|title=The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species
|accessdate=3 October 2014}}</ref>
|}}

'''''Linum bienne''''', the '''pale''' or '''narrowleaf  flax''',<ref name=BSBI07>{{BSBI 2007 |access-date=2014-10-17 }}</ref> is a [[flowering plant]] in the genus ''[[Linum]]'', native to the [[Mediterranean region]] and western Europe, north to [[England]] and [[Ireland]].

Pale flax grows as a [[biennial plant|biennial]] or [[perennial plant]] in dry, sunny [[Calcareous grassland|calcareous]] or neutral grasslands from sea level up to 1000 m. It has long, narrow stems to 60&nbsp;cm tall and slender leaves 1.5–2.5&nbsp;cm long. The flowers have five petals about 1&nbsp;cm long and nearly round; they are pale blue but streaked with darker colour. It flowers in late spring and, at least in more temperate regions, through the summer. The flowers are monoecious and are [[Pollination|pollinated]] by [[bee]]s and [[wasp]]s.

''Linum bienne'' (=''L. angustifolium'') is considered the probable wild forebear of the cultivated [[flax]],<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Allaby, R. |author2=Peterson, G. |author3=Merriwether, D. |author4=Fu, Y.-B. |year=2005 |title=Evidence of the domestication history of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) from genetic diversity of the sad2 locus |journal=Theoretical and Applied Genetics |volume=112 |issue=1 |pages=58–65 |doi=10.1007/s00122-005-0103-3|pmid=16215731 |s2cid=6342499 }}</ref> and a fibre can be made from its stem. It is sometimes grown as a garden plant.

It has been introduced into North America, where it is [[naturalisation (biology)|naturalized]] on the Pacific coast from [[Oregon]] to the central coast of [[California]], and also in [[Pennsylvania]]; it is found in [[Hawaii]], as well.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). ''Illustrated Flora of Britain and Northern Europe''. Hodder & Stoughton.
*Huxley, A. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening'' vol. 3: 93. Macmillan.

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}} 
*[https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4965,4980,4981 Jepson Manual Treatment]
*[http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=photos_index&where-taxon=Linum+bienne Photo gallery]
*[http://www.terrain.net.nz/friends-of-te-henui-group/weeds/flax-pale-flax-linum-bienne.html New Zealand weed profile]

[[File:Linum bienne SLO coast.jpg|thumb|''Linum bienne,'' north coast of [[San Luis Obispo County, California]]|left ]]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q232898}}

[[Category:Linum|bienne]]
[[Category:Fiber plants]]
[[Category:Flora of Lebanon]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Philip Miller]]
[[Category:Flora of Malta]]