For thousands of years, real lavender has been one of the most important and valuable medicinal and spice plants, although the plant is now rarely found both in culture and in the wild. The numerous cultivars and hybrids have taken their place, but they can neither be used in the kitchen nor in medicine. Therefore, in this article you will find information on how to recognize real lavender.
The cultivated lavender variety Lavandin is cultivated more frequently than real lavender, especially in Provence
Real lavender versus lavandin
True lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) faces its greatest competition from the hybrid lavandin, a cross between true and high spike lavender (Lavandula latifolia). This cultivated lavender is also the one that is mostly grown in the endless lavender fields of Provence and Tuscany. In the garden and in the wild - although the lavandin does not become wild - you can distinguish the two species primarily by their height and their leaves. The following table gives you an overview.
| lavender | real lavender | lavandin |
|---|---|---|
| growth habit | small shrub | small shrub |
| growth height | 60 to 100 cm | up to 50 cm |
| leaves | narrowly lanceolate, hairy | oblong, lanceolate |
| sheet length | 2 to 5 cm | 4 to 6 cm |
| leaf color | evergreen, silvery white underneath | grey-green |
| blossom | aged | aged |
| heyday | from June / July | from June / July |
| height of the inflorescences | 10 to 15 cm | 10 to 20 cm |
When buying, pay attention to additives such as "fine" or "extra".
If you want to buy lavender oil, look out for the additives "fine" or "extra" - only then do you actually buy genuine lavender oil. Since the yield of pure oil from real lavender is very meager, this also achieves correspondingly high prices and is often replaced in the industry by the inferior oil of lavandin or even by artificial flavorings. These may smell similarly beguiling, but they do not have the same medicinal or culinary effect.
tips
You can also easily distinguish the French lavender, which is often cultivated in pots, from the common lavender by the characteristic shape of its flowers. As the name suggests, the flowering spike of the French lavender has a clear "tuft". In addition, the plant remains significantly smaller than other types of lavender.