SC - Re: Lavender varieties

[Gaylin Walli]

Concerning lavender varieties, Lady Allison wrote:
>These are obviously different cultivars, but does anyone know whether
>USA growers are cultivating for color, flower size, perfume, drying
>qualities, etc?

I've looked this up out of curiosity and a desperate attempt to
avoid working on mundane work stuff. :) Here's what I've found.
Hope this helps people. It treads dangerously close to off topic
material, but at least might help the mundane grower pick varieties
for their herb garden when recreating cooking, herbal, and medical
botany type projects. Enjoy. -- Jasmine de Cordoba, jasmine at infoengine.com

++++

The largest listing of cultivars of lavender that I know of online
is located at the San Marcos Growers website (a wholesale company
based in Santa Barbara, California). Their website URL is:

http://www.smgrowers.com/lav.htm

Only a small number of the species of lavender cultivated in the
world today are useful to the herbalist and the perfume industry [1]
however, many more varieties might be useful to the cook of medieval
food.

In a recent small survey of a botanist, fragrance researcher,
herb crafter, edible-flower chefs, plant growers, and herb gardeners
from all over the United States (including "the far north" and "the
deep south") the following varieties were the most popular for the
reasons listed [2] (note the x- varieties are lavandins, not true
lavenders):

Lavendula angustafolia 'Hidcote'	tradition, strong scent
L. angustafolia 'Munstead'		bluer flowers than most
L. x-intermedia 'Grosso"		strongest fragrance
					sweetness of essential oil
					abundance of flower spikes
L. x-intermedia 'Royal Velvet'		retains dark purple color dried
L. angustafolia 'Lady'			prolific flowers throught summer
					short lifespan (2-3 years)
					ease of propagation
L. x-intermedia 'Provence'		hardiness in Zone 5 or worse
L. stoechas (Spanish L.)		size of plant mass
L. angustafolia 'Goodwin Creek Grey'	size of plant mass
L. angustafolia 'Formasike'		size of plant mass

Of the newest varieties being grown and developed in the trade for
cooking and perfumery, the following are the most popular [3,4,5]:

L. x-intermedia 'Super'			Longest growth with
					best oil production and
					best drying strength. Most
					production in France and
					Tasmania.
L. angustafolia 'Betty's Blue'		Scent intensity at least as
					good as 'Hidcote' with better
					and longer bloom time.

Most of the lavender grown worldwide is used to produce essential oils,
with lavandin cultivars predominating because they yield greater quantities
of oil. However, L. angustifolia is also grown for essential oil
production, as selected forms give very high quality oil for use in
perfumery [6] and cosmetics.


References:

[1] Snowbound Herbals website
http://www.sbherbals.com/0797HotM.html

[2] The Herb Companion magazine, April/May 1998, pp. 21-25.

[3] Personal Communication, Bordine's Nursery, 9-12-98.

[4] Personal Communication, Jennifer Arris, garden plant specialist,
    9-12-98.

[5] Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) website
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/lavender.html

[6] Jenny McGimpsey: McGimpseyJ at crop.cri.nz
Redbank Research Station, New Zealand
New Zealand Crop & Food Research Ltd. WebSite
http://www.crop.cri.nz/broadshe/Lavender.htm
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