FLORES LAVANDULAE. 477 



in Walton's "Description of an inn," about the year 1080 to 1090, we 

 find the walls stuck round with ballads, where the sheets smelt of 

 lavender. . . .^ 



Lavender was well known to the botanist of the IGth century. 



Description— The flowers of Common Lavender are produced m a 

 lax terminal spike, supported on a long naked stalk. They are arranged 

 in G to 10 whorls (verticillastcrs), the lowest being generall}^ far remote 

 from those above it. A whorl consists of two c^'mes, each liaving, when 

 fully developed, about throe flowers, below which is a rhomboidal 

 acuminate bract, as well as several narrow smaller bracts belonging to 

 the particular flowers. The calyx is tubular, contracted towards the 

 mouth, marked with 13 nerves and 5-toothed, the posterior tooth much 

 larger than the others. The corolla of a violet colour is tubular, two- 

 lipped, the upper lip with two, the lower with three lobes. Both corolla 

 and calyx, as well as the leaves and stalks, are clothed with a dense 

 tomentum of stellate hairs, amongst which minute shining oil-glands 

 can be seen by the aid of a lens. 



The flowers emit when rubbed a delightful fragrance, and have 

 a pleasant aromatic taste. The leaves of the plant are oblong 

 linear, or lanceolate, revolute at the margin and very hoary wlien 

 young. 



For pharmaceutical use or as a perfume, lavender flowers are strip]->ed 

 from the stalks and dried by a gentle heat. They are but seldom 

 kept in the shops, being grown almost entirely for the sake of their 

 essential oil. 



Production of Essential Oil— Lavender is cultivated in the 

 parishes of Mitcham, Carshalton and Beddington and a few adjonung 

 localities, all in Surrey, to the extent of about 300 acres. It is also 

 grown at Market Deepincr in Lincolnshire; also at Hitchm m llertt(n-(l- 

 shire, where lavender wa"s apparently cultivated as early as the year 

 loG8.'^ 



At the latter place there were in 1871 about 50 acres so cropped 



The plants which are of a small size, and grown in rows in dry 

 open fields, flower in July and August. The flowers are usually cut 

 with the stalks of full length, tied up in mats, and carried to tne 

 distillery there to await distillation. This is performed in the same 



large stills that are used for peppermint. The flowers are commonlj 



stripped from the stalks, and the latter rejected i^rfo^o ^^cm;; "p ], 

 the careful experiments of Bell,^ the oil made in ^If ^^^^ "^f '^^^^'l^^',, 'J 

 exceedingly flue quality. The produce he obtained m ^^^y^f^ -'l 

 ounces pe/ 100 lb. of flowers, entirely freed from stalks; m 1847 o 

 ounces; and in 1848, 20 ounces: the q^^^^^ities of f^ovm u^e^^ 

 respective years were 417. G33, and 923 lb. (hi distilled ^^^"^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

 ••^Jone was found to have a peculiar rank odour. In the distillation ol 



I^Macaulay, //^,^ of Kncjland, i. ch. 3. accountjf l^^J^'^;',i.j;/';iileri£X/ 



,. ^ Perhs, Proc. An.rica. PJun-rn. Assocu. ^^oLe .hich is affecth.g tl,e lavender 

 '">», 187(>. 811). since about the year A?^- o-r, 



^ For niure particulars see the interesting * Ph<'""- J'-'^"'"- '"'■ ^^^^^^ ""• 



Inns. 



2 



