French lavender

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• French lavender
• Italian lavender
• Spanish lavender
• topped lavender
• wild lavender

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Stoechas officinarum

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Lamiales and the family Lamiaceae, it is classified under the genus Lavandula.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant is primarily distributed across the Mediterranean regions of Southwestern Europe. It can be found growing naturally in the Balearic Islands, known as Baleares. Its presence extends to the island of Corsica and the coastal areas of France. Additionally, the species is widely distributed throughout Portugal. Finally, it is commonly located on the island of Sardegna.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Lavandula stoechas is characterized by its preference for lowland habitats, where it thrives within specific altitudinal constraints. It is typically found at elevations ranging from a minimum of 50 m AMSL to a maximum of 1000 m AMSL, with a mean elevational range centered around 563 m AMSL. This distribution indicates an adaptation to relatively low-altitude environments, allowing the species to occupy diverse landscape niches within these specified vertical limits.

Elevational range max:

1000 m AMSL

Elevational range mean:

563 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

50 m AMSL

Habitat :

Lowland

Life history

The life history of Lavandula stoechas is characterized by its status as a perennial plant, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons. Functioning as a chamaephyte, its regenerative buds are located close to the soil surface, a structural adaptation that helps it thrive in its natural habitat. This species maintains an evergreen deciduousness, retaining its foliage throughout the year to facilitate continuous photosynthetic activity.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Life form :

chamaephyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Lavandula stoechas is characterized by its growth form as a woody shrub, exhibiting a self-supporting structure that does not function as a climber or liana. This terrestrial plant, which is neither an epiphyte nor a parasite, maintains an independent lifestyle. It typically reaches a plant height ranging from a minimum of 0.3 m to a maximum of 1 m. The shoot orientation is predominantly erect, contributing to its compact and bushy appearance.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

shrub

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

1 m

Plant height min:

0.3 m

Shoot orientation :

erect

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Lavandula stoechas is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, a common metabolic strategy that allows the plant to fix carbon dioxide through the Calvin cycle. Its vegetative morphology is defined by elliptic-shaped leaves that exhibit significant variation in dimensions, with leaf lengths ranging from a minimum of 0.5 cm to a maximum of 3.5 cm. The leaf width is comparatively narrow, measuring between a minimum of 0.2 cm and a maximum of 0.4 cm. Furthermore, the plant does not function as a nitrogen fixer, meaning it relies on available soil nitrates and ammonium rather than symbiotic bacterial associations to meet its nitrogen requirements.

Leaf form :

elliptic

Leaf length max:

3.5 cm

Leaf length min:

0.5 cm

Leaf width max:

0.4 cm

Leaf width min:

0.2 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Lavandula stoechas is characterized by a sexual process, as asexual reproduction is noted to be absent. The flowering period is highly variable, potentially spanning any month of the year from January through December. During the blooming phase, the plant produces violet-colored flowers, which typically range in length from 0.4 cm to 0.55 cm. These flowers are organized into inflorescences that measure between 0.015 m and 0.05 m in length. Following pollination, the plant develops brown fruits that vary in size, with a length between 0.16 cm and 0.18 cm and a width between 0.11 cm and 0.13 cm. The resulting seeds are quite minute, possessing a mean mass of approximately 0.000795 g, with a specific range spanning from 0.00079 g to 0.0008 g. Seed dispersal is facilitated through multiple syndromes, specifically anemochory (wind dispersal) and autochory (self-dispersal).

Dispersal syndrome :

anemochorous

Dispersal syndrome :

autochorous

Flower colour :

violet

Flower length max:

0.55 cm

Flower length min:

0.4 cm

Flowering time :

Jan

Fruit colour :

brown

Fruit length max:

0.18 cm

Fruit length min:

0.16 cm

Fruit width max:

0.13 cm

Fruit width min:

0.11 cm

Inflorescence length max:

0.05 m

Inflorescence length min:

0.015 m

Reproduction asexual :

absent

Seed mass max:

8e-04 g

Seed mass mean:

0.000795 g

Seed mass min:

0.00079 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Lavandula stoechas has 1 reported plant parts identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include flower.

Flower

1. The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology

Chemicals

Lavandula stoechas has 34 reported phytochemicals identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include camphor, Fenchone, Flavonoids, rosmarinic acid, 1,8-Cineole.

camphor

1. Heliyon
2. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
3. Chemistry & biodiversity
4. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
5. International journal of pharmaceutics

Fenchone

1. Heliyon
2. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
3. Chemistry & biodiversity
4. International journal of pharmaceutics
5. Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France)

Flavonoids

1. Natural product research
2. Chemistry & biodiversity
3. Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France)

rosmarinic acid

1. Chemistry & biodiversity
2. Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France)

1,8-Cineole

1. Chemistry & biodiversity

1.8-cineole

1. International journal of pharmaceutics

4-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID

1. Frontiers in pharmacology

Antioxidant Activity

1. Chemistry & biodiversity

BORNYL ACETATE

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Borneol

1. Chemistry & biodiversity

Activities

Lavandula stoechas has 15 reported activities identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Antimicrobial, Analgesic, Anticholinergic.

Antioxidant

1. Heliyon
2. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
3. Chemistry & biodiversity
4. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
5. Saudi journal of biological sciences

Antibacterial

1. Heliyon
2. Chemistry & biodiversity
3. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Saudi journal of biological sciences
5. International journal of biological macromolecules

Antimicrobial

1. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
2. International journal of pharmaceutics

Analgesic

1. The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology

Anticholinergic

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Anticonvulsant

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Antidiabetic

1. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie

Antiglycation

1. Frontiers in pharmacology

Antihyperglycemic

1. Dose-response : a publication of International Hormesis Society

Antinociceptive

1. The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology

Medicinal Uses

Lavandula stoechas has 30 reported medicinal uses identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include Staphylococcus aureus, gastrointestinal disorders, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Cancer.

Most Reported Uses

Preparations