Illustrations of Indian Botany, Vol. 1/Lineae
XLIII.—LINEAE.
A small order of herbaceous and suffruticose plants, generally speaking of very minor importance, one species however, the common Lint or Flax plant (Linum usitatissimum) is of great value in the arts, on account of the fineness and strength of the fibres of its bark, and the peculiar qualities of the oil of its seed. The stems and branches are round or irregularly angled, the leaves usually alternate, rarely opposite or verticelled, simple, entire, exstipulate, but sometime furnished in place of stipules, with small glands at the base of the leaves. The flowers are bisexual, regular, pedicelled, forming terminal cymes, rarely solitary and sessile.
Sepals 4 5, persistent, aestivation imbricated. Petals 4-5, hypogynous unguiculate, cadu- cous, twisted in aestivation. Stamens equal in number to the petals and alternate with them, united at the base to a hypogynous ring or torus, from which proceed little teeth opposite the petals, indicating aboitive stamens. Anthers ovate, erect, introrse. Ovary with about as many cells as sepals, seldom fewer, styles as many as the cells. Stigmas capitate, capsule, generally pointed with the hardened base of the style, several celled, each celt partially divided into two by an imperfect spurious dissepiment, and opening by two valves at the apex. Seeds single in each cell, compressed, inverted, albumen usually present. Embryo straight, fleshy, with the radicle pointing to the hilum. Cotyledons flat.
Affinities. These are still sub-judice, one set of Botanists viewing the order as more nearly allied to Can/ophyllaceae and Malvaceae, while another considers it as little else than a section of Geraniaceae. The objection to this last arrangement, advanced by Dr. Lindley, the want namely of the gynobase, seems to me a very strong one, and in the absence of that I can- not see any other very evident relationship, by which the order approaches nearer the one set of orders than the other, and look upon DeCandolle's opinion, that it is an order intermediate between and having affinities with Caryophyllaceae, Malvaceae, and Geraniaceae, between the two first of which he places it, as well founded.
Dr. Lindley places Lineae in his Calycose group between Elatineae and Hugoneaceae, to both of which they are obviously allied.
Geographical Distribution. Species of the genus Linum are found in all the four quarters of the globe, but most abundant in Europe and the northern parts of Africa. Three are met with in the Peninsula of India, but perhaps one of these, L. usitalissimvm,, introduced, though that is uncertain now. Mr. Royle mentions some others which he found at the foot of the Himalayas, and at moderate elevations on them. The whole number enumerated by DeCandolle in his Prodromus is 54, Don in his edition has extended them to 77, but whether these are all good species may be doubted.
Properties and Uses. Flax the produce of the bark of the Linum usitatissimum , has been known and highly valued from a very remote period, on account of the beautiful cloth of which it forms the bases. In modern times, though less extensively employed now that the cheaper and more pleasant, but less durable, cotton cloths have come into general use, it still holds its place on account the strength and delicacy of the numerous and beautiful fabrics into which it is converted, among which may be mentioned the various kinds of Linen, Cambrics, Lace, &c. The preparation of the flax to procure it of the best quality is one requiring much care, and what seems remarkable has but recently attracted the attention and attained that degree of perfection which its commercial importance merits. The steeping or watering of flax, a process which injures its quality is still in general use. A modern improvement is, to steep the plant, whether green and fresh from the field, or after it has been dried and stacked for months, for a few hours in hot water and soft soap, which is said to separate the fibre from the woody matters better, than many days steeping in the usual way, and without rotting or deteriorating its quality. Great improvements have also been made in the machinery for cleaning flax, by which the process is greatly expedited, and a finer material produced, as will be seen in the following extract from Loudon's Encyclopaedia of Agriculture, giving some account of the method.
"Lees' method of breaking flax and hem.p, without dew-retting, was invented in 1810, and was the first step towards a great improvement, brought nearer perfection by the new patent machines of Messrs. Hill and Bundy.
Hill and Bundy's machines are portable, and may be worked in barns or any kind of out- house, they are also well calculated for parish workhouses and charitable institutions, a great part of the work being so light that it may be done by children and infirm persons, and such is the construction and simplicity of the machines, that no previous instruction or practice is required, their introduction, therefore, into those asylums would be the means of effecting a considerable reduction of the poor's rate. The woody part is removed by a very simple machine, and, by passing through a machine equally simple, the flax may be brought to any degree of fineness, equal to the best used in France and the Netherlands, for the finest lace and cambric. The original length of the fibre, as well as its strength, remains unimpaired, and the difference of the produce is immense, being nearly two thirds, one ton of flax being produced from four tons of stem. The expense of working each ton obtained by this method is only five pounds. The glutinous matter may be removed by soap and water only, which will bring the flax to such perfect whiteness, that no further bleaching is necessary, even after the linen is woven, and the whole process of preparing flax may be completed in six days."
This extract I introduce not in the hope that the plan can be rendered applicable to this portion of India, for the dressing of flax, though I think it may be to a very large extent in the upper provinces of Bengal where so much flax is cultivated for its seed only, but, under the impression that if the method here mentioned was adopted for the preparation of the flax- like fibres of the very numerous plants, natives of this part of India, producing them, they might be the means of furnishing us, from among them, with some very valuable articles for the fabrication of cordage and cloth in imitation of linen, or the Chinese grass cloth. The method of separating the fibres by steeping the plant for several days in water certainly impairs their strength and durability, an effect which the application of a weak alkaline solution does not, it would appear, produce, while it, through a chemical action, effectually removes the vege- table extractive and other matters with which they are combined in the plant, and so rapidly, as not to allow time for the partial decomposition of the fibres which results from the protracted immersion required for their separation, when that is accomplished by the simple process of steeping in water.
I shall conclude this too brief notice of an important subject, by another extract from Loudon's Encyclopaedia of Agriculture, detailing a method of preparing flax to resemble Cotton in whiteness and softness, the principle of which may perhaps be found applicable to some one of the flax-like products of India.
"A method of preparing flax in such a manner as to resemble cotton in ivhiteness and softness, as well as in coherence, is given in The Swedish Transactions for the year 1747. For this purpose a little sea water is to be put into an iron pot or an untinned copper kettle — and a mixture of eq-ial parts of birch-ashes and quick lime strewed upon it ; a small bundle of flax is to be opened and spread upon the surface, and covered with more of the mixture, and the stra- tification continued till the vessel is sufficiently filled. The whole is then to bt> boiled with sea-water for ten hours, fresh quantities of water being occasionally supplied in proportion to the evaporation, that the matter may never become dry. The boiled flax is to be immediately washed in the sea by a little at a time, in a basket, with a smooth stick at first, while hot, and when grown cold enough to be borne by the hands, it must be well rubbed, washed with soap, laid to bleach, and turned and watered everyday. Repetitions of the washing with soap expe- dite the bleaching ; after which the flax is to be beat, and again well washed, when dry, it is to be worked and corded in the same manner as common cotton, and pressed betwixt two boards for forty- eight hours, ft is now fully prepared and fit for use. It loses in this process nearly half its weight, which, however, is abundantly compensated by the improvement made in its quality."
It only remains for me to add that the quantity of flax imported into Great Britain is about 1,000,000 cwts. annually, worth about 2^ millions sterling and principally derived from the con- tinent of Europe. At this rate it seems to be a subject deserving the attention of those in Bengal who cultivate the plant for the seed alone, to ascertain whether flax, fit for the English market could also be profitably prepared from it, in place of the whole plant, except the seed, being rejected as useless I certainly think, that this would be found to be the case, as a climate suited to bring the seed to perfection there is reason to believe might prove equally suitable for maturing the fibre, provided it can be removed and dressed uninjured by the operation. This may be doubted if the method of steeping is employed, but, not so if the more scientific plan of dissolving the extractive matter in an alkali and then washing it away is pursued.
Linseed for the production of which, the cultivation of this plant is annually extending in Bengal, affords by compression a valuable drying oil, much used by painters The remaining oil cake, is used for fattening cattle. From the seed a jelly is also prepared by slowly boiling it for about two hours, which is similarly employed by cattle feeders. In medicine the infusion of the bruised seed forms an excellent demulcent, in various complaints requiring medicines of that description, the decoction affords a useful emolient enema in some cases of bowel complaint: while the meal, simply mixed with boiling water forms an excellent poultice of easy preparation. Linum catharticum "is bitter and powerfully, but, as it seems not danger
ously cathartic ***. A drachm of the dried plant is a convenient purgative, or we may employ infusion of a handful of the recent plant. Pereira" — Lind. Fl. Med,
EXPLANATION OF PLATE 60.
1. Linum Mysorense, natural size.
2. A flower.
3. The same, the petals removed to show the sepals, stamens, torus and ovary.
4. Anthers back and front views.
5. Ovary and stamens.
6. A stigma.
7. A capsule — natural size.
8. The same magnified.
9. The same cut vertically — but very erroneously representing the seed erect in [dace of attached above the middle and pendulous : a point however very difficult to make out from the dried specimen.
10. A capsule cut transversely, showing it 5-celled, with two seed in each cell.
11. A seed — with the exceptions mentioned, all more or less magnified.
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LINUM MYSORENSE. (HEYNE)