Common Name: Spike Lavender

General Information

Lavandula latifolia is an evergreen shrub that usually grows around 50 - 70cm tall, though it can reach 100cm. The plant forms a short woody base that persists and producing annual flowering stems up to 50cm tall[].
Lavandula latifolia is a commercially important and highly aromatic shrub that is harvested from the wild and also cultivated both commercially on a small scale and also in the garden for its flowers, which are used for the production of essential oil for aromatherapy and for fragrance. The plant is also grown widely for its ornamental value and for honey production[].
Lavandula latifolia has a wide distribution, a large overall population and, although it is declining somewhat as a result of harvesting from the wild, this is unlikely to be declining fast enough to cause problems. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

Southern Europe - Spain, France, Italy

Habitat

Open scrubland amongst low-growing shrubs, very often on shallow, calcareous soils and on sunny slopes on stony hillsides; usually at elevations from 100 - 800 metres, occasionally to 1,000 metres or more[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	0.35 m
Pollinators	Bees, Lepidoptera
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Lavandula latifolia is not a very cold-hardy plant, tolerating short periods when temperatures drop to about -10°c[, ].
Succeeds in almost any soil so long as it is very well-drained and not too acid[, ]. Prefers a sunny position in a neutral to alkaline soil[, ]. Prefers a light warm dry soil[]. When grown in rich soils the plants tend to produce more leaves but less essential oils[]. Very tolerant of salt wind exposure. Established plants are drought tolerant[]. When growing for maximum essential oil content, the plant must be given a very warm sunny position and will do best in a light sandy soil, the fragrance being especially pronounced in a chalky soil[].
This species of lavender is sometimes cultivated for its essential oil in southern France and southern England[, ]. The oil is considered to be an inferior aromatic to the oil from Lavandula angustifolia because it contains a high percentage of camphor. It is very closely related to Lavandula angustifolia but perhaps not so hardy[, ].
Plants are not very long-lived and soon become straggly unless pruned. Any trimming of the plant is best done in spring and should not be done in the autumn since this can encourage new growth that will not be very cold-hardy[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw[, ]. Used as a condiment in salads[]. Very aromatic[], they cannot be eaten in quantity[].

An essential oil from the flowers is used as a food flavouring[].

Medicinal

Spike lavender has somewhat similar medicinal properties to common lavender (Lavandula angustifolia). It yields more essential oil than that species but is considered to be of inferior quality due to its camphor content[, ]. The camphor content, however, make the oil a very effective antimicrobial and also a moderately effective antifungal[].

The flowering stems, and the essential oil obtained from them, is abortifacient, antibacterial, antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative and emmenagogue[, , ]. They can be used in all the ways that common lavender is used. Taken internally, they are used to treat digestive disorders[].
Applied externally the oil is used to treat wounds, burns, painful joints, insect stings etc. It is applied to the chest as an expectorant to treat asthma and bronchitis[, ]. and internally to treat digestive disorders[].

The essential oil is used in aromatherapy. Its keyword is 'Immune system'[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The flowers are a prime source of nectat for bees[, , ], also attracting butterflies and moths[].
Lavender is a good companion for most plants[], said to grow especially well with cabbages[].

Other Uses

An essential oil obtained from the flowers has a penetrating and camphorous aroma. The fragrance of the crushed calyx is pleasant, resembling that of the true lavender but with an intermixture of camphor[]. The oil is commonly used in soap making, cheap perfumes, as a food flavouring, as a parasiticide in veterinary medicines, in making porcelain, as a diluent in paints, varnishes, lacquers, resins etc[, , ]. This species yields up to three times the quantity of essential oil than is obtained from Lavandula angustifolia,, but the quality is considered to be inferior to that species for use in perfumery[, , , ].
The essential oil is an effective inhibitor of hydrochloric acid corrosion when coated over steel[].
When growing the plant for its essential oil content, it is best to harvest the flowering stems as soon as the flowers have faded[].

The aromatic leaves, flowers and the essential oil obtained from them are effective insect repellents. They are used in the linen cupboard to help keep clothes smelling fresh and deter moths[, , ]. They are also used in pot-pourri[] and are said to repel mice[].

The flowering stems, once the flowers have been removed for use in pot-pourri etc, can be tied in small bundles and burnt as incense sticks[].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed[]. It usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 15°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter, planting them out in late spring after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood 7 - 10cm with a heel, mid summer in a frame. Usually very easy, a high percentage will root within a few weeks[]. Grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out in late spring after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings 7cm with a heel succeed at almost any time of the year[].
Layering.