Lavenders

Description

Lavenders are small bushes that grow naturally in dry or arid environments, often at altitude (up to 1800 m).

They belong to the Lamiaceae family and the Lavandula L. genus, which includes around forty wild species, a few spontaneous hybrids and two species cultivated on a large scale for their essential oils.

Their flowers and leaves are aromatic because they produce volatile compounds from the terpene family.

Lavenders produce the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that make up essential oils (EO) in peltate glands on the leaves and calyxes of the flowers. In lavenders, these glands are structures dedicated to the synthesis and storage of volatile terpenes. These compounds are extracted by distillation from mature inflorescences.

True lavender inflorescence

Lavender calyx (scanning electron microscopy)→

Cross-section of a lavender calyx

At the laboratory

The LBVpam has been studying lavender on several scales since 2006, with different aims ↓

A very dynamic industry in France

Lavender and lavandin are the leading aromatic and medicinal perfume plants (APPs) grown in France. In 2023, there were more than 2,000 growers, covering more than 30,500 hectares, or more than half of France's acreage of aromatic and medicinal plants. In 2023, 90 t of true lavender EO and 1600 t of lavandin EO were produced. France is the world leader in lavandin EO production.

Competitiveness

The laboratory is carrying out research to gain a better understanding of the problems caused by pathogenes and to understand how wilting disease works and how it can be overcome in cultivated lavender.

Climate change issues

Research into the water stress tolerance of different varieties is helping to understand the plant's robustness and internal mechanisms in the face of drought. Lavender is also on the list of plants to plant for the bees that collect its nectar. The ecological study of lavender provides a better understanding of its interactions with pollinators.

Find out more

Lavender quiz

Lavender quiz

Where can we find lavender?

The natural range of wild species extends from the Mediterranean to India. The islands of Macaronesia, the Atlas Mountains and the Arabian Peninsula are centres of lavender biodiversity.

Which lavender is 100% French?

True lavender (L. angustifolia Mill.) is endemic to the mountains of southern France. The fragrance of its flowers is appreciated by perfumers, who have named this species fine lavender. It naturally hybridises with a sister species, L. latifolia Medik or spike lavender. Their hybrid, L. x intermedia Emeric ex Loisel. or lavandin, is a robust plant that produces an essential oil with a composition intermediate to those of its parents.

What is lavandin used for?

Lavandin essential oil does not have the quality required by perfumers, but is a component of natural origin widely used by the detergent industry (washing powder, soap, etc.). The essential oils of these three lavenders are also used in aromatherapy and for their medicinal properties (mainly sedatives and insecticides). Fine lavender and lavandin are grown in the south of France, Bulgaria and China.

How to recognise fine lavender and lavandin?

The smell of the flowers is an indicator, but it takes practice to grasp the subtleties. The shape of the inflorescence (flowers) is the most important feature in distinguishing them. True lavenders have a simple spike, while lavandins have a trident-shaped spike.

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