LABIATJE. XVII. LAVANDDLA. 



709 



lobes all nearly equal, spreading. Stamens 4, didynamous : 

 lower ones the longest, inclosed, declinate ; filaments glabrous, 

 free, toothless ; anthers ovate-reniforra, confluent, 1-celled. 

 Style shortly bifid at apex : lobes flattened, rather connate, with 

 stigmatiferous margins. Disk concave, furnished with 4 fleshy 

 scales on the margin in front of the achenia. Achenia glabrous, 

 smooth, adnate behind to the scales of the disk. Under shrubs, 

 shrubs, or perennial, herbaceous plants. Stems leafy at the 

 base, and usually naked under the spikes. Floral leaves brac- 

 tea-formed, with 1-5 flowers on both sides, opposite, rarely 

 alternate. Flowers approximate into terminal, simple spikes, 

 which are sometimes branched at the base. Bracteas small, 

 setaceous, or wanting. 



SECT. I. STOZ'CHAS (the Latin name of French Lavender; 

 because it grows-wild in the Sloechade Islands.) Benth. lab. p. 

 147. Floral leaves 3-5-flowered, disposed in an imbricated, 

 dense spike : the upper floral leaves sterile, and comose. Upper 

 tooth of calyx dilately appendiculate. Small trees, with quite 

 entire, or pinnately toothed leaves. 



1 L. STOZ'CHAS (Lin. spec. p. 800.) leaves oblong-linear, quite 

 entire, with revolute edges, clothed with hoary tomentum on 

 both surfaces; spikes dense, comose; whorls 6-10-flowered ; 

 calyxes ovate, hoary, shorter than the tube of the corolla. ^ 

 H. Native of the South of Europe and North of Africa, in 

 many places ; also of Tenerifie. Sibth. et Smith, fl. graec. 6. t. 

 549. Sto2 chas officinarutn, Mill. diet. no. 1. Stce'chas pur- 

 purea, Tourn. inst. 201. t. 95. Blackw. icon. t. 241. Stce'chas 

 vulgaris, Park, theatr. 67. Leaves about \ an inch long. Co- 

 rolla dark purple ; tube a little exserted. Spike tetragonal, 

 with a tuft of purple leaves at top. The whole plant has a 

 strong aromatic, agreeable flavour. 



Far. /3, macrostachya (Ging. hist. lav. p. 1 30.) spikes thicker, 

 octagonal, with a tuft of coloured leaves at top ; leaves 

 broader. $ . F. Native of Corsica, Sicily, Naples, and Tene- 

 rifFe. Floral leaves 4 in a whorl. 



French Lavender. Fl. May, July. Clt. 1568. Shrub 2 to 

 3 feet. 



2 L. PEDUNCULA'TA (Cav. prael. p. 70.) leaves lanceolate, 

 quite entire, with revolute edges, clothed with hoary tomentum 

 on both surfaces; spikes dense, comose ; whorls 6-1 0-flower- 

 ed ; calyxes elongated, pubescent, equalling the tube of the 

 corolla. Jj . F. Native of Spain, Portugal, among heath on 

 the banks of the Tagus, but rare ; but more common between 

 Lainego and Viseu ; also of Madeira, Masson. L. Stce'chas, 

 p, Lin. spec. p. 800. Stce'chas pedunculata, Mill. diet. no. 2. 

 Ger. emac. p. 568. f. 4. Spikes thicker, more loose, and 

 on longer peduncles than L. Stcechas, &c., and the odour 

 weaker. 



Long-peduncled Lavender. Fl. May, July. Clt. ? Shrub 2 

 to 3 feet. 



3 L. VI'RIUIS (Ait. hort. kew. 2. p. 288.) leaves oblong-linear, 

 quite entire, with revolute edges, green on both surfaces, vil- 

 lous ; spikes rather loose, and somewhat comose at top ; whorls 

 6-10-flowered; calyx tubular, rather villous, equalling the tube 

 of the corolla, f; . F. Native of Portugal, and Madeira. Lher. 

 sen. angl. 19. t. 21. Hoffm. et Link, fl. port. 1. p. 91. t. 4. 

 Sire' chas viridis, Ray. hist. 1. p. 514. Lavandula Massonii, 

 Cels, ex Ging. hist. lav. p. 137. This species differs from L. 

 Sice chas, in the leaves being villous, and in the spike and coma 

 being green ; the spikes are looser, and the upper tooth of 

 calyx is furnished with a longer appendage. 



Green Lavender. Fl. May, July. Clt. 1777. Shrub 2 to 

 3 feet. 



4 L. DENTA'TA (Lin. spec. p. 800.) leaves oblong, linear, or lan- 

 ceolate, bluntly and pinnately toothed, pubescent, hoary beneath, 



with revolute edges ; spikes loose, rather tufted at apex ; calyx 

 oblong, pubescent, about equal in length to the tube of the 

 corolla. ^ . F. Native of the South of Europe, and Africa, 

 in the region of the Mediterranean ; Spain, Balearic Islands, 

 Naples, Sicily, Zante ; Island of Madeira. Curt. bot. mag. t. 

 400. Stoe'chas dentata, Mill. diet. no. 3. Barrel, icon. 797. 

 Bauh. hist. 3. p. 279. f. 2. Branches ascending, tetragonal, 

 tomentosely pubescent. Leaves 1 to 1| inch long. Spike 

 interrupted at the base. Whorls 6-10-flowered. Corollas 

 like those of L. Stcechas. Spike terminated by a few purplish 

 leaves. 



N.B. L. heterophylla, Poir. suppl. 2. p. 308. includes 2 

 garden varieties, the one probably a hybrid between L. dentata 

 and L. vera ; the other between L. dentata and L. spica. 



Toothed-le&ved. Lavender. Fl. June, Sept. Clt. 1597. 

 Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



SECT. II. SPI'CA (from spica, an ear of corn ; from the simi- 

 larity of a spike of lavender to an ear of wheat.) Benth. lab. 

 p. 148. Floral leaves 3-5-flowered, approximate into a loose 

 spike : superior ones shorter than the calyxes, fertile. Upper 

 tooth of calyx dilately appendiculate. Shrubs. Branches naked 

 at top. Leaves quite entire. 



5 L. VE'RA (D. C. fl. fr. 5. p. 398.) leaves oblong-linear, or 

 lanceolate, quite entire, hoary in the young state, with revolute 

 edges ; spikes interrupted ; whorls 6-10-flowered ; floral 

 leaves rhombeo-ovate, acuminated, membranous, all fertile : up- 

 per ones shorter than the calyxes ; bracteas almost wanting. Ij . 

 H. Native of the South of Europe, and North of Africa, in 

 the region of the Mediterranean, on sterile hills and declivities. 

 L. spica, var. a, Lin. spec. p. 800. L. spica, Lin. spec. 800. 

 Schkuhr, handb. 2. t. 157. Lois. fl. gall. 2. p. 346. Woodv. 

 med. bot. p. 150. t. 55. Sabb. hort. rom. 3. t. 72. Berg. 2. p. 

 233. L. spica, a, angustifolia, Mill. diet. no. 2. Garid. aix. t. 

 60. L. officinalis, Clairv. in Vill. dauph. 2. p. 363. L. vul- 

 garis, a, Lam. fl. fr. 2. p. 403. L. angustifolia, Mcench. meth. 

 389. Shrub much branched ; branches tetragonal, rather to- 

 mentose, leafy at bottom, and naked at top. Calyxes bluish. 

 Corollas blue, seldom white. Lavender is a plant which has 

 long been celebrated for its virtues in nervous disorders. Ac- 

 cording to Dr. Cullen it is, " whether used externally or inter- 

 nally, a powerful stimulant to the nervous system, and amongst 

 others of this order, named cephalics, the lavender has the best 

 title to it, and it appears to me probable that it will seldom go 

 farther than exciting the energy of the brain to a fuller impulse 

 of the nervous power into the nerves of the animal function, 

 and seldom into the vital." The officinal preparations of La- 

 vender are the essential oil, a simple spirit, and a compound 

 tincture. The essential oil has been used for stimulating para- 

 lytic limbs, and for several external purposes, but it is only now 

 used as a perfume. Imitation scent-bottles are made of the 

 fragrant spikes of Lavender. They are also put in paper bags, 

 and placed among linen to perfume .it. Lavender water, a 

 well-known perfume, is distilled from the flowers, for which 

 purpose the plant is cultivated extensively in different places, 

 but more especially at Mitcham in Surrey, and Maidenhead in 

 Berkshire. 



Lavender is propagated by slips and cuttings, like rosemary ; 

 it likes a dry soil, and may be planted either in distinct plants 

 two feet asunder, or to form a sort of hedge-row, in one or 

 more lines, especially where large supplies of flowers are re- 

 quired for distilling. The plants will advance in a close, 

 branchy growth, and when established will produce plenty of 

 flowers in July and August. Gather them while in perfection, 

 cutting the spikes off close to the stem ; then give the plants 

 occasional trimmings, taking off the gross and rampant shoots of 



