Italian Lavenders

Italian Lavender

A shrub growing to about 90cm tall having narrow, linear, grey-green leaves and beautiful blue-violet flowers borne on long spikes.

A genus of about 25 aromatic, evergreen perennials and shrubs that are found throughout Mediterranean regions, the Middle East, nd India. Lavenders are among the most popular plants for herb gardens for their subtle coloring and delightful fragrance. The hardier lavenders make attractive hedges, while tender kinds may be grown under cover. Lavenders are rich in volatile oils, and the resulting essential oils vary greatly in aroma, constituents, and quality. Due to their popularity and long history of cultivation, garden lavenders are mostly hybrids and cultivars, and accurate identification is often extremely difficult. The two most important lavenders with medicinal uses are Lavandula angustifolia and L. latifolia. The former grows at higher elevations (600-1200m/2000-4000ft) in S. Europe and therefore thrives and yields well in cooler areas. Both are rich in essential oils but differ in constituents; L. angustifolia yields an exquisitely scented oil, known in France as fine, which is used in aromatherapy and high quality perfumes; L. latifolia, a lowland species, yields much larger quantities of a rather harsh camphoraceous oil, which is used mainly in cleaning products, and as an insect repellent. Lavandula latifolia is rarely seen as a garden plant but is grown in Spain for its oil. The hybrid lavender or lavandin, L. x intermedia (a cross between L. angustifolia and L.latifolia that appeared c. 1900), is often preferred by the perfume industry, but it is not recommended for medicinal use. It is grown on a large scale for its oil, and for its flowers, which are used in sachets, potpourri, and craft work. Lavandin combines the best properties of its parents, having a more pleasant perfume then L. latifolia, and yielding over four times as much oil as L. angustifolia. For many years lavender production centered on Provence in S France, but other countries, such as Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, increased production during the late 20th century. Lavandula stoechas was widely used as an antiseptic and toiletry herb in ancient times by the Greeks, Romans, and Arabs, but is little used today. It has a pungently scented volatile oil, containing 24-72 percent camphor.

Bushy shrub with linear to oblong-lanceolate, downy leaves, to 4cm (1½in) long, and flowering stems 3-4cm (1¼-1½in) long, bearing dark purple flowers in dense, short spikes, 2-3cm (¾-1¼in) long, tooped by purple bracts. Often on acid soil.

Common Name:	Italian Lavender
Other Names:	French Lavender, Spanish Lavender
Botanical Name:	Lavendula stoechas
Genus:	Lavandula
Family:	Lamiaceae
Cultivation:	Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil in an open, sunny position. Lavandula stoechas thrives in acid soil; L. latifolia tolerates slight acidity. Trim hedges and cut specimen plants back in spring to encourage bushiness. Dead-head and trim lightly after flowering. Lavendula lanata is very sensitive to overwatering and damp conditions. Lavenders are affected by gray mold, scab, leaf spot, and honey fungus. Plants become woody with age and are best replaced every 3-4 years. Lavandula stoechas is subject to statutory control as a weed in parts of Australia.
Propagation:	By seed sown on surface of soil mix in spring; by semi-ripe cuttings in summer. Seeds of L. angustifolia germinate more quickly if placed in the freezer for two hours before sowing. Cultivars do not come true from seed.
Harvest:	Flowers of L. angustifolia and L. x intermedia are picked as they begin to open and used fresh, distilled for oil, or (L. angustifolia only) dried for use in infusions, spirits, and tinctures. Flower heads and flowers of other lavenders are gathered as they open, for drying.
Height:	60cm (24in)
Width:	60cm (24in)
Native Location:	Mediterranean area, Portugal, N Africa, Madeira, and Tenerife
Hardiness:	Z5-7
Variations:	Helmsdale Has dense green foliage and deep burgundy bracts; excellent for hedging Height: 70-80cm (28-32in) Width: 70-80cm (28-32in) James Compton syn. Butterfly, Fairy Wings Has narrow, undulating, bright red-violet bracts. Height: 80cm (32in) Width: 80cm (32in) Kew Red Is dwarf, with very small spikes and bright magenta bracts. f. leucantha Syn. Snowman Is smaller and rounded, with dense, gray-green foliage, short flowering stems, to 3.5cm (1 3/8in) long, and white flowers in globose-cylindrical spikes, to 3cm (1¼in) long , topped by small, green-veined bracts Native Location: E Pyrenees Height: 40-50cm (16-20in) Width: 40-50cm (16-20in) Marshwoord Has gray-green foliage and dusky gray-mauve bracts. Height: 1m (3ft) Subsp. pedunculata Syn.Papillon (Spanish Lavender) Has narrower, lighter green leaves, deep purple-blue flowers in larger spikes, borne on longer stems, to 23cm (9in) Grows on calcareous soil. Native Location: Atlantic Islands, Spain, Portugal, N Africa, S Balkan Peninsula, Asia Minor Height: 75cm (30in) Width: 75cm (30in) Pippa Pink Is compact, with bright green foliage, violet flowers, and pale pink bracts. Height: 60cm (24in) Pukehou Has purple-edged flower stems, 10-18cm (4-7in) long, and strongly undulating, blue purple bracts. Height: 70cm (28in) Southern Lights Has gray-green foliage and very stout spikes, bearing cream to mauve-pink double bracts. Height: 70-80cm (28-32in) Willowvale Has Large purple bracts. Early and long blooming. Wine Syn. Wine Red has bright green foliage and mauve-violet bracts. Height: 70-80cm (28-32in).
Parts Used:	Flowers
Properties:	An antiseptic, tonic, aromatic herbs with a camphoraceous, balsam-like scent. It benefits the digestion, relaxes spasms, promotes healing, repels insects, has mild sedative effects on the nervous system, and stimulates the peripheral circulation.
Medicinal Uses:	Internally for headaches, irritability, feverish colds, and nausea. Externally for wounds and rheumatic pain, and as an insect repellant.
Economic Uses:	Dried flower spikes and leaves are added to potpourris and linen sachets for their perfume and moth-repellant properties.
Bibliography:	Aromatherapy Blends and Remedies by Franzesca Watson Copyright ©: 1995 Thorsons, Harper Collins Publishers, Inc. pp.118-121 Magical Aromatherapy by Scott Cunningham Copyright © 1989 Llewellyn Publications Inc. pp. 101-103 Wicca, Guide to the Solitary Practioner by Scott Cunningham Copyright © 1988 Llewellyn Publications, Inc. pp. 159-168 The Encyclopedia of Herbs by Deni Bown Copyright © 1995, 2001 Dorling Kindersley Limited pp.252-257