the flax family, comprising about 14 genera of herbaceous plants and shrubs, in the order Malpighiales, of cosmopolitan distribution. The genus Linum includes flax, perhaps the most important member of the family, grown for linen fibre and linseed oil and as a garden ornamental. Reinwardtia species are primarily low shrubs, grown in greenhouses and outdoors in warm climates; R. indica, the yellow flax, is notable for its large yellow flowers, borne in profusion in late fall and early winter.