A wild flax of chalk downs formerly used as a purge, probably fairy flax, Linum catharticum. Also †mill-mountain flax.

British regional. Any of various plants with narrow leaves; spec. (a) fairy flax, Linum catharticum; (b) Scottish common quaking grass, Briza media…

In full least rupturewort. The allseed, Radiola linoides (family Linaceae), a small annual plant with narrow, highly-branched stems, found…

a dwarf Eurasian flax, Linum catharticum, with small white flowers, found in dry, esp. calcareous, grassland (also called fairy flax).

an annual flax of Eurasia, Linum catharticum (family Linaceae), having numerous small white flowers on delicate stems.

U.S. The prairie flax, Linum perenne subsp. lewisii, of western North America. rare.

= purging flax n. at purging, adj. compounds.

fairy flax, Linum catharticum.

With qualifying word prefixed, in the names of other species of Linum or of plants resembling the true flax, as dwarf-flax, fairy-flax, mountain-flax…

A genus of plants (family Linaceæ) of which flax is a well known example. In popular use, applied to the ornamental species of this genus.