FAIRY FLAX
PURGING FLAX
Linum Catharticum
Flax Family [Linaceae] 
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Flax Family [Linaceae]
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flower
flower
inner
morph
petals
stem
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| 12th June 2009, A Greenside Mine Leet, Glenridding, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| A short plant with thin wiry stems adopting one of its characteristic poses: a drooping head. Narrow oblong leaves in opposite pairs held upwards and close to the stem. |
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| 12th June 2009, A Mine Leet, Glenridding, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| Several flower heads held aloft on one plant. Usually five yellow stamens and five pale yellow anthers adorn the centre surrounded by five white petals. |
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| 12th June 2009, A Greenside Mine Leet, Glenridding, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| Leaves have a central vein. |
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| 4th Sept 2010, Shining Tor, Derbyshire. | Photo: © RWD |
| The five sepals are tapered to points. |
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| 16th June 2009, Great Orme, Llandudno, North Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
| So short and lost amongst the short limestone turf which it loves growing in (if you looked closely enough, it is almost ubiquitous here) it had to be cut free to get a better look at it. |
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| 12th June 2009, A Greenside Mine Leet, Glenridding, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| Flowers very indeterminate at first resembling those of Meadow Saxifrage, Sandworts and Pearlworts, or even of non-existent 5-petalled Scurveygrasses. |
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| 12th June 2009, A Greenside Mine Leet, Glenridding, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| The flower is small, only about 5mm across with five white petals each having four or five translucent veins. |
_2010_09_04_WhaleyBridge_CatNFiddle_Buxton_021p1.jpg)
| 4th Sept 2010, Shining Tor, Derbyshire. | Photo: © RWD |
| Petals are rounded-diamond shaped. Translucent veins very apparent. |
_2010_09_04_WhaleyBridge_CatNFiddle_Buxton_019p4.jpg)
| 4th Sept 2010, Shining Tor, Derbyshire. | Photo: © RWD |
| The dead brown, empty shells of the flowerheads create a fuzz looking like a dead grass. |
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Some similarities to : Saxifrages particularly Meadow Saxifrage, No relation to : Fairy Fern [a plant with similar name] nor to Fairy Foxglove [a plant of very similar name] which is in the Plantain family.
Not to be confused with: A very short but ubiquitous plant that colonises short limestone turf. Its stems are very thin and wiry, with a few branches. The flowers are small, about 5mm across, with 5 white petals, 5 yellow stamens and 5 pale yellow anthers adorn the center. Fairy Flax (aka Purging Flax) contains the same cyanogenic glycoside Linamarin as does Cultivated Flax. ANY TEXT GOES HERE |
 Linum |
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Flax Family [Linaceae]
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