Flax

Flax is a bast fiber extracted from the stem of the flax plant and spun into linen yarn and fabric. Its long, strong fibers are separated from woody stem tissue by retting and mechanical processing.

Flax plant: An annual flowering plant cultivated for its seeds and long bast fibers. Its stem is the source of the fibers used to make linen.
Bast fiber: A fiber obtained from the phloem or associated tissues of a plant stem. Flax belongs to this group of stem-derived textile fibers.
Linen: A textile made from yarn spun from flax fibers. Linen is flax’s principal textile application.
Cotton: A soft textile fiber that grows around the seeds of cotton plants. Cotton is a seed fiber often compared with flax linen in clothing and household textiles.
Retting: The controlled breakdown of plant tissues that loosens bast fibers from surrounding stem material. Microbial or water-based retting releases flax fibers from the stem.
Cellulose: A structural polysaccharide that forms the primary framework of plant cell walls. Cellulose is the main structural material in flax fiber.
Canvas: A strong, plain-woven fabric traditionally made from linen or cotton. Flax yarn has historically supplied durable canvas for sails and other heavy cloth.
Hemp fiber: A bast fiber obtained from the stems of hemp plants. Hemp is a related stem fiber with different processing and textile characteristics.
Scutching: A process that removes woody fragments from retted plant stems by beating or scraping. Scutching clears shives from flax fibers after retting.
Lignin: A complex aromatic polymer that stiffens and waterproofs many plant cell walls. Lignin-rich woody tissue must be separated from flax’s useful fibers.

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