CROATIAN FLORA 2016 - LAVENDER

Lavender Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Family of Lamiaceae) English: true lavender German: echte Lavendel French: lavande officinale Italian: lavanda officinale Curative or narrow-leaved lavender is a very aromatic and branchy evergreen bush reaching up to 1.5 m. Blue-greenish leaves are about 3 cm long and linear lanceted. Bilabial flowers are of unusual blue-violet colour by which this colour nuance also got its name (Lavender) and are about 1 cm long and surrounded by bracts. They are gathered in dense, cylindrical flower clusters up to 10 centimetres long at the top of long stems. Lavender blossoms from June to August. It prefers sunny habitats, but not dry land. Like rosemary's its homeland is also Iberian Peninsula (most probably mountains of North Spain), where, surprisingly, it does not grow near the coast. As a curative plant it was spread in old times throughout the whole Mediterranean area: in some areas it is fully domiciled, while in other it is cultivated. In Croatia it is mainly considered a cultivated plant although here the talk is most often about lavandin (Lavandula intermedia) a hybrid of narrow-leafed and wide-leafed lavender which is common also in well-known Hvar plantations. In coastal area lavender can be found also as wild, in low-bushes (macchia) and on rocky pastures. Since it successfully survives low temperatures, it is often cultivated in continental (even mountainous) areas as a decorative plant, but also a curative, honey- bearing and industrial plant. From its flowers through distillation lavender oil can be produced, which has a wide application in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry. Since antique times it has been added to massage oils, soaps and baths – wherefrom also a scientific name of the genus (lat. lavare, to wash oneself) originates. Aromatherapy recommends lavender oil as a mild and soothing agent. Depending on cultivar, there are various strengths and pleasantness of lavender scent: some are highly scented because they contain more camphor and are used, e.g. in sachets, against moths, while others are milder and “sweeter” and more convenient for application on skin. Lavender is to some degree also used in culinary: new leaves and offshoots - similar as those of rosemary, can in small quantities be added as spice to salads and meat dishes. In recent years also sweets with the addition of lavender are popular, first of all chocolates and sparkling drinks. Sanja Kovačić