linseedArticle Free Pass linseed, also called flaxseed, seed of
a variety of the common flax, Linum usitatissimum, grown for its
yield of linseed oil and meal. This variety of flax has shorter
straw, more branches, and more seeds than other varieties that
are grown primarily for linen fibre. It is cultivated
principally in Argentina, Canada, the United States, Russia, and
Ukraine. Linseed was used as food by the ancient Greeks and
Romans. In modern times, its main food use is as livestock feed.
After the oil is removed from linseed by compression, the
remaining meal, high in protein and minerals, is heated and
pressed into cakes for livestock. Linseed is borne in globular
capsules, each with 10 long, flat, elliptical seeds with slight
projections at one end. The seeds are typically about 3 to 4 mm
(0.1 to 0.15 inch) long. They are usually brown and are smooth
and shiny, with a mucilaginous substance in their outer layer
that makes them sticky when wet. The whole seed usually contains
from 33 to 43 percent oil