Lavender
(Lavendula vera, D. C.; L. Angustifolia, Moench.; L.
spica, Linn.), a half-hardy perennial undershrub, native of dry,
calcareous uplands in southern Europe. Its name is derived from the
Latin word Lavo, to wash, a distillation of the flowers being
anciently used in perfuming water for washing the body. The plant forms
a compact clump 2 to 2-1/2 feet tall, has numerous erect stems, bearing
small, linear gray leaves, abo
arise. The small violet-blue flowers are arranged in a short, terminal
spike, and are followed by little brown, oblong, shiny seeds, with white
dots at the ends, attached to the plant. The seeds remain viable for
about five years.
Cultivation.--Lavender succeeds best on light, limy or chalky soil,
but will do well in any good loam. In gardens it is usually employed as
an edging for flower beds, and is most frequently propagated by division
or cuttings, seed being used only to get a start where plants cannot be
secured in the other ways mentioned. In cold climates the plants must
either be protected or removed to a greenhouse, or at least a cold
frame, which can be covered in severe weather. The seed is sown indoors
during March, and if crowding, pricked out 2 inches asunder. When the
ground has become warm, the plants are set in the open 15 to 20 inches
asunder. It delights in a sunny situation, and is most fragrant on poor
soil. Rich soil makes the plant larger but the flowers poorer in
perfume.
Uses.--The plant is sometimes grown for a condiment and an addition to
salads, dressings, etc., but its chief use is in perfumery, the flowers
being gathered and either dried for use in sachet bags or distilled for
their content of oil. In former years no girl was supposed to be ready
for marriage until, with her own hands, she had made her own linen and
stored it with lavender. And in some sections the lavender is still
used, though the linen is nowadays purchased.
In southern France and in England considerable areas are devoted to
lavender for the perfumery business. The flower stems are cut in August,
covered at once with bast matting to protect them from the sun and taken
to the stills to obtain the thin, pale yellow, fragrant oil.
Four-year-old plants yield the greatest amount of oil, but the product
is greater from a two-year plantation than from an older one, the plants
then being most vigorous. Two grades of oil are made, the best being
used for lavender water, the poorer for soap making. In a good season
about one pound of oil is obtained from 150 to 200 pounds of the cut
plants.
More
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(Lavendula vera, D. C.; L. Angustifolia, Moench.; L. spica, Linn.), a half-hardy perennial undershrub, native of dry, calcareous uplands in southern Europe. Its name is derived from the Latin word Lavo, to wash, a distillation of the flowers being ... Layers
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(Levisticum officinale, Koch.), a perennial, native of the Mediterranean region. The large, dark-green, shining radical leaves are usually divided into two or three segments. Toward the top the thick, hollow, erect stems divide to form opposite, who... Mallows
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(Calendula officinalis, Linn.), an annual herb of the natural order Compositae, native of southern Europe. Its Latin name, suggestive of its flowering habit, signifies blooming through the months. Our word calendar is of the same derivation. Its sho... Marjoram
The common Marjoram (Origanum) grows frequently as a wild labiate plant on dry, bushy places, especially in chalky districts throughout Britain, the whole herb being fragrantly aromatic, and bearing flowers of a deep red colour. When cultivated in o... Marjoram
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This is a Solanaceous plant found native in Great Britain, and growing generally on chalky soil under hedges, or about waste grounds. It bears the botanical name of Atropa, being so called from one of the classic Fates,--she who held the shears to c... Notable Instance Of Uses
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(see Garlic, page 209). ... Orange
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(Carum Petroselinum, Linn.), a hardy biennial herb of the natural order Umbelliferae, native to Mediterranean shores, and cultivated for at least 2,000 years. The specific name is derived from the habitat of the plant, which naturally grows among ro...