Linen cloth is obtained from:

Linen is a textile made from the fibres of the flax plant (Linum usitatissimum). The fibres are obtained from the stem of the plant, so linen is a bast (stem) fibre, like jute and hemp.

How linen is made:

• Flax plants are pulled out of the ground (rather than cut) to keep the full length of the fibres.
• Retting: the stems are soaked in water or left in fields exposed to dew, so that bacteria and moisture break down the gummy substances binding the fibres to the stem.
• Breaking and scutching: the stems are crushed and beaten to separate the woody parts from the fibres.
• Hackling (heckling): the fibres are combed to separate long fibres (line) from short ones (tow).
• The fibres are then spun into yarn and woven into linen cloth.

Properties of linen:

• It is very strong (stronger when wet), smooth and lustrous.
• It absorbs moisture and dries quickly, making it cool and comfortable in hot weather.
• It wrinkles easily.
• It is one of the oldest textiles in the world; linen was used in ancient Egypt, including for wrapping mummies.

Uses:

Clothing, bed sheets, tablecloths, towels and napkins. The term "linens" for household textiles comes from linen.

Linen paper and canvas for paintings.

The flax plant:

Flax is grown in cool, moist climates. The leading producers of fibre flax are France, Belgium and the Netherlands, and Ireland is historically famous for linen.

Flax seeds (linseed) are used for oil and as a food. Linseed oil is used in paints, varnishes, linoleum and printing inks, and the seeds are valued for omega-3 fatty acids.

In India, flax is grown mainly as an oilseed (linseed) crop, in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, rather than for fibre.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Jute fibres are used for gunny bags and hessian.
• ✗Hemp fibres are used for ropes, canvas and textiles.
• ✗Cotton seed hair (lint) gives cotton cloth, not linen.