Lavandula stoechas

'French Lavender'

[Ex. Olbia, 100m., Sardinia]

Lamiaceae: an evergreen shrub growing to 80cm. Found growing on dry hills, garrigue and open woods on limestone and granite soils. The dark purple flowers are borne in dense terminal heads which are topped by prominent purple bracts. An intensely aromatic shrublet with narrow grey leaves. Native to South Western Europe.

USES:

French lavender has similar medicinal properties to common lavender (L. angustifolia). It yields more essential oil than that species but is of lower quality. The flowers, and the essential oil derived from them, are antiasthmatic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, digestive and expectorant. It is used internally to alleviate nausea. Externally, the essential oil is used as an antiseptic wash for wounds, ulcers, sores and as a relaxing oil for massage.

An essential oil is obtained from the flowers - used in soap making, perfumery and medicinal applications.

GROWING INFORMATION:

Sow seeds spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. It usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 15°C. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter, planting them out in late spring after the last expected frosts. This plant must be given a very warm sunny position and will do best in a light sandy soil, the fragrance being especially pronounced in a chalky soil. Hardy to between -5 and -10°C, but is often killed by the cold wet winters in Britain.

Very attractive to bees!

HARVESTED:

 
APPROX. 100 SEEDS