Purging Flax, Fairy Flax

Foodplant / pathogen
acervulus of Colletotrichum coelomycetous anamorph of Colletotrichum lini infects and damages seedling of Linum catharticum

Foodplant / parasite
telium of Melampsora lini var. lini parasitises live stem of Linum catharticum
Remarks: season: 5-10

Foodplant / open feeder
nocturnal larva of Rhogogaster chambersi grazes on leaf of Linum catharticum
Other: sole host/prey

Fairy flax is also known as purging flax. In earlier days, its poisonous seeds was used as a laxative for helping chronic constipation. Fairy flax grows in various kinds of soils: calcium-rich dunes, wet valleys and inland dune grasslands. Despite the large variety of possible habitats, fairy flax has grown rare in the Netherlands. It is only commonly found in the dunes. This tiny flower grows in the same kind of places where other uncommon plants grow, such as glaucous sedge and quaking grass. As long as the area is relatively open, unfertilized, not too shaded and rich in calcium, fairy flax has a chance.

Linum catharticum, also known as purging flax, or fairy flax, is an herbaceous flowering plant in the family Linaceae, native to Great Britain, Iceland, central Europe and Western Asia. It is an annual plant and blooms in July and August.

It is a known host of the pathogenic fungus flax rust (Melampsora lini).