Lavandula angustifolia Miller
Family
Labiatae
Synonyms
Lavandula spica L. (p.p., nomen ambig.), Lavandula officinalis Chaix, L. vera DC.
Vernacular Names
|
English |
Common lavender, English lavender. |
|
French |
Lavande véritable, lavande vraie, lavande femelle. |
Geographical Distributions
Lavandula angustifolia is only occasionally cultivated in Southeast Asia, mostly as ornaments.
Description
Lavandula angustifolia is a shrub that can reach 1-2 m tall. The branches are grey-brown to dark brown with long flowering and short leafy shoots while its bark is longitudinally peeling.
The leaves are clustered on leafy shoots and widely spaced on flowering shoots. The petiole is very short. The blade is linear-Iance-shaped to linear, measuring 17 mm x 2 mm on leafy shoots, measuring 2-6 cm x 3-6 mm on flowering shoots, with grey stellate hairs, attenuate at base, with entire margin, revolute and obtuse at apex.
The inflorescence is a crowded, interrupted or nearly continuous spike. It is 2-8 cm long. The verticillasters are numerous, 6-10-flowered and with the upper ones densely crowded. The peduncle is about 3 times longer than the spike. The bracts are papery, rhombic-ovate, measure 3-8 mm long, with 0.8-2.2 length/width ratio and rust-coloured when dry. The bracteoles are absent or measure up to 2.5 mm long. The pedicel is 1-1.5 mm long. The sepal is 4-7 mm long. It is densely grey stellate hairy outside, with 13 longitudinal ribs, where the upper lip is entire, and with obcordate appendage, while the lower one is 4-toothed. The petal is 10-12 mm long, blue, densely hairy outside, nearly hairless at the base and with glandular hairy throat and limb. The upper lip is with straight, circular lobes and slightly overlaps while the lower lip spreads. The nutlets are narrowly cylindrical.
Ecology / Cultivation
Lavandula angustifolia occasionally occurs below 600 m altitude and then often hybridizes with L. longifolia. In cultivation, L. angustifolia is found at lower altitudes than when growing wild, and mainly up to 800 m. It requires a well-drained soil. In their natural habitat, L. angustifolia prefers calcareous soils.
Line Drawing / Photograph
Read More
References
-
Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.19: Essential-oil plants.
