Linseed (Linum usitatissimim L. 2n = 30) is the second most important oilseed crop inrnproduction after noug in the higher altitudes of Ethiopia. It is suited to a wide range of soilrntypes but it is sensitive to and performs poorly on the acidic soils. Sixty-four linseedrngenotypes, consisting of six exotic, one standard check and 47 single plant selection fromrndifferent crosses were evaluated by simple lattice design with two replications for theirrntolerance to acidic soil at Bedi Trial Site in Central Ethiopia during 2009/2010 croppingrnseason. Data were collected for 14 characters and statistically analyzed. Analysis of variancernshowed significant differences among the genotypes for root length, days to flowering, daysrnto maturity, plant height, seed yield per plot, seed yield per plant, tillers per plant, number ofrnprimary branches per plant, 1000 seed weight, oil yield and oil content. However, thernnumbers of capsules per plant and secondary branches per plant were non-significant. Highrnphenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variations were recorded for seed yield per plant,rnseed yield per plot, oil yield per plot, number of primary branches and tillers per plant.rnConversely, oil content, 1000 seed weight, days to flowering and days to maturity showed lowrnphenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variations. Heritability in the broad sense isrnadequately high for all characters and comparatively higher heritability was observed for oilrncontent, 1000 seed weight and days to maturity. Relatively, higher heritability was coupledrnwith high genetic advance for days to flowering, days to maturity, plant height, capsules perrnplant and vigourisity. High heritability, associated with low predicted genetic advance, wasrnestimated for oil content, seed yield per plant, 1000 seed weight, root length, tillers per plant,rnprimary and secondary branches per plant. Simple correlation coefficient analysis revealedrnthat seed and oil yields (kg/ha) had positive and significant correlation with seed yield perrnplant, tillers per plant, primary and secondary branches, capsules per plant, and vigourisity.rnSignificant and positive correlation was observed for oil content only with 1000 seed weightrnbut negative correlation with vigourisity and tillers per plant. Positive and significantrncorrelation of days to maturity with root length and plant height was observed. Root lengthrnhad positive and significant correlation with days to maturity, plant height, seed yield perrnplant, tillers per plant, vigourisity of plants, seed yield per plot, primary and secondaryrnbranches per plant, capsules per plant and oil yield. The study showed that linseed genotypesrnwith longer root lengths such as Omega X CI-1525/B/3, Chilalo X R-12-N27G/P2/S2, CDC-rn1747XCI-1652/S2, PGRC/E10306 X Chilalo/B/4, etc., were among higher seed yielders. Inrngeneral, seed yield of the genotypes increased with increase in root length and theserngenotypes are thought to be more tolerant to acidic soil. Cluster analysis of genotypes fromrnsix different sources grouped them into seven different classes. Analysis of Mahalanobisâ€™s D2rnshowed significant genetic distances between all clusters except between the first and thernsecond clusters. Generally, no clear cut relationship was observed among different sources ofrngenotypes since genotypes from the different sources of origin fell into the same cluster andrngenotypes of the same source were distributed into different clusters, indicating thatrngenotypes from the same origin may have different genetic background and vice-versa.rnPrincipal component analysis revealed that seed yield per hectare, oil yield per hectare,rnvigourisity of plants and oil content were the most determining characters in groupingrngenotypes into the clusters.rnKey words: Clustering genotypes, genetic diversity, linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.),rnsoil acidity