The Story of Lavender

Lavender is the genus Lavandula L.; English, French, and Spanish lavenders are cultivated species within it.

How it was found

Kew’s genus summary: Macaronesia to the Mediterranean and India. The native list runs from the Canaries and Cape Verde across North Africa and the Mediterranean to India, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula. Introduced list includes Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, parts of the eastern United States, and further regions on the taxon page.

UC Marin: believed to have originated in Greece and indigenous to the Mediterranean area including Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and Cape Verde. UCCE Tulare/Kings: indigenous home in the western Mediterranean coastal region. Kew’s genus range runs from Macaronesia to India.

UCCE Tulare/Kings writes that lavender spread into English gardens by the 1600s and reached America soon after.

How people used it

UC Marin: helpful in the kitchen (cooking, herb mixes, beverages); English lavender (L. angustifolia) is the type named for culinary use. UC Sacramento: can be used as a culinary herb but is most often used as a scent. UCCE Tulare/Kings: uses in cooking, cosmetics, and aromatherapy.

UC Marin: fragrance for oils, soaps, potpourri, and sachets; word lavender from Latin lavare, “to wash.” UCCE Tulare/Kings: Romans and Greeks scented their soaps and baths with lavender. UC Sacramento: French hybrids (Lavandula × intermedia) considered number one for scent.

Timeline

1. More than 2,500 years

   Already in many cultures

   UC Marin writes that lavender (Lavandula) has been used for more than 2,500 years in many cultures around the world. UCCE Tulare/Kings: history and science have placed lavender back some 2500 years.

   UC Marin Master Gardeners; UCCE Tulare/Kings

2. Greeks and Romans

   To wash

   UCCE Tulare/Kings: the Romans and Greeks scented their soaps and baths with lavender. UC Marin: the word lavender is derived from the Latin verb lavare, “to wash.” Name and bath use travel together on those pages.

   UCCE Tulare/Kings; UC Marin

3. 1753

   Linnaeus names the genus

   Kew accepts Lavandula L., first published in Sp. Pl.: 572 (1753). USDA GRIN genus page: common name lavender; synonyms include Isinia Rech. f. and Stoechas Mill.

   Kew POWO; USDA GRIN

4. 1600s / soon after in America

   English gardens, then America

   UCCE Tulare/Kings: from its indigenous home in the western Mediterranean coastal region, lavender spread through the centuries; by the 1600s it had become a beloved plant in English gardens; its arrival in America happened soon after; early use in this country was mostly of a medicinal nature. That last clause is a use note, not a named folk recipe.

   UCCE Tulare/Kings Master Gardeners

Cool to know

Growing notes for this plant live on the Plant Wiki.