— 87 - 



Its flowers develop about a fortnight later in the season than those 

 1 of the true lavender, which is ascribable to its hybrid character; spike, 

 for example, flowers still later, in the beginning of September. Lavandin 

 occurs principally in the region of the holm-oak, and even spreads beyond 

 the boundaries of the latter, traversing in a broad belt the Departments 

 of the Drome, Vaucluse, Basses-Alpes, $c, where it covers the southern 

 slopes of several mountains up to the top. 



Like all hybrids, lavandin is an extraordinarily hardy plant, and in 

 its prolific development constitutes an actual danger to the true lavender, 

 which it robs of air and nourishment. The fact that this hybrid is gaining 

 ground year by year gives cause for serious concern, the more so because 

 pasturing sheep and goats shun it on account of its acrid odour and bitter 

 taste, whereas in the true lavender these animals find an occasional 

 welcome substitute for grass. 



But in spite of this same bitter, herbaceous and camphor-like flavour, 

 which places it far behind lavender as an odoriferous plant, very con- 

 siderable quantities of lavandin are cut for distilling. 



Lamothe estimates that the lavandin oil which is brought to market 

 every year amounts to about 20 p. c. of the total output of lavender oil 

 or, in weight, to about 12 000 kilos. He regards this as most regrettable 

 and utters an emphatic warning against the distillation of lavandin flowers, 

 for although they yield a better return then true lavender, and with less 

 trouble, their oil is decidedly inferior and may easily injure the present 

 predominant position of French lavender oil. Lamothe gives a very inter- 

 esting comparison of the respective outputs, which deserves to be quoted 

 here. In the same time which is required to collect about 55 kilos true 

 lavender flowers nearly 400 kilos of the freer-flowering lavandin can be 

 gathered without trouble. And whereas for the production of one kilo 

 lavender oil 145 kilos flowers are needed, from 77 to 80 kilos flowers 

 suffice to produce one kilo of lavandin oil. 



With regard to the properties of lavandin oil Lamothe states that the 

 samples distilled by him had an average ester-content of 24 °/ 1 ). As in 

 the case of true lavender oil a linalyl acetate content of 30°/ is con- 

 sidered low, this fact shows the inferiority of lavandin oil ; but by estimating 

 the ester-content it is always possible to guard against the use of an 

 inferior product. 



Lamothe not only warns his countrymen against the distillation of 

 Javandin flowers, but also against their export, because here also the 

 reputation of French lavender is likely to suffer as a result of the poor 

 quality of these flowers. He has no doubt that such frauds are practised, 



') Compare Report October 1906, 44. A sample of "lavandin" oil examined by us gave 

 the following constants: d 15 o 0,8911, a D — 3°25 f , ester v. 51,5=18°/o ester (calc. as linalyl 

 acetate), sol. in 2 vols. a. m. 70 % alcohol. 



