FEMA 2618

Description

Herbaceous hybrid plant that is a cross between lavender and spike lavender. It grows in several varieties, a few of which resemble lavender, while others resemble spike lavender.
Originally the plant grew wild as the result of natural cross-polli nation. Today lavandin is cultivated almost exclusively in southern France (Var, Vaucluse, and Drome). Lavandin production from other Mediterranean countries (Italy, Yugoslavia, Spain) is very limited compared to French production.
In the past, distillation of lavandin yielded a typical essential oil, the so-called normal type. Through the careful selection of lavan din strains having a high ester content, new varieties of lavandin and, therefore, lavandin essential oils with different characteristics have become available. The variety lavandin abrial has attained great importance in recent years. "Ordinary" or "normal" lavandin oil has an ester content (linalyl acetate) ranging on the average between 20 and 22%; lavandin abrial oil has an average ester content of 30 to 32%. Lavandin oil exhibits 1:1 to 1:2 solubility in 65% ethanol. The solubility of essential oils from the same growing site has decreased slightly in the past few years, probably because of a morphological evolution of the plant.
The part used is the flowering herb. Lavandin has a camphora ceous, fresh, herbaceous odor reminiscent of lavender.
There are two essential oils: lavandin oil and lavandin abrial oil.
Lavandin Oil: Obtained by steam distillation of the flowering stalks, lavandin oil is a pale-yellow to yellow liquid with a strong, lavender-like, but more pronounced camphoraceous odor.
Lavandin Abrial 00: Also obtained by steam distillation of the plant material in much higher yields, lavandin abrial oil is a pale yellow to yellow liquid. The odor of this oil is more earthy and camphoraceous than lavandin oil and also is reminiscent of lav ender.
Terpeneless essential oils with an odor very similar to lavender are also produced by careful vacuum distillation to remove cam phor and cineol. The main constituents of lavandin include lina lool, linalyl acetate, camphor, cineol, borneol, terpenes, and ethylamyl ketone. The terpene fraction (approximately 7%) con tains pinene, camphene, limonene, and dipentene.

Chemical properties

Lavandin oil is obtained by steam distillation of freshly cut flowering tops of lavandin, Lavandula x intermedia Lois, which is a hybrid of lavender and spike (L. angustifolia Mill. x L. latifolia Medik.). It is a pale yellow to amber liquid with a lavender-like and a slightly camphoraceous note.
d²⁰₂₀ 0.887–0.897; n²⁰_D 1.460–1.466; α²⁰_D ?5 ° to ?2 °; solubility: 1 vol in 4 vol of 70% ethanol at 20 °C; acid number: max. 1.0; ester number: 77–108, corresponding to an ester content of 27–38%, calculated as linalyl acetate (lavandin oil abrial). d²⁰₂₀ 0.891–0.899; n²⁰_D 1.458–1.462; α²⁰_D ?7 ° to ?3 °; solubility: 1 vol in max. 3 vol of 70% ethanol; acid value: ≤1 (lavandin oil grosso).
Lavandin plants are sterile and can be propagated only by cuttings. The oils from the most important varieties, abrial and grosso, contain linalool (26–38/24–37%) and linalyl acetate (20–29/25–38%) asmajor constituents as well as 1,8-cineole (6–11/4–8%) and camphor (7–11/6–8.5%). A third variety is called super because its oil contains a high concentration of linalyl acetate (35–47%) and, thus, resembles lavender oil most closely.The quantity of Sumian, an additional variety having a composition quite close to abrial, has grown in the recent years and makes up to 10% of the lavandin crop now.
Although lavender oil ismore valuable than lavandin oil as a fragrance raw material, lavandin plants are more commonly cultivated because they give a higher yield of oil (about 50–100 kg/ha) and are hardier than lavender plants. Cultivation in Southern France is no longer restricted to the traditional lavender regions, but now includes the Languedoc. Approximately 1200 t of oil are produced annually in France. Smaller quantities are distilled also in Spain.
All lavandin oil types are used primarily in soap and detergent perfumes; considerable quantities are also employed in eau de cologne and in bath products.

Chemical properties

Herbaceous hybrid plant that is a cross between lavender and spike lavender. It grows in several varieties, a few of which resemble lavender, while others resemble spike lavender. Originally, the plant grew wild as the result of natural cross-pollination. Today, lavandin is cultivated almost exclusively in southern France (Var, Vaucluse and Drome). Lavandin production in other Mediterranean countries (Italy, Yugoslavia, Spain) is very limited compared to French production. Lavender plants are evergreen shrubs that grow up to 100 cm (3 ft). The plant has small blue or purple flowers. The narrow leaves are gray when young and turn green as they mature. The part used is the flowering herb. Lavandin has a camphoraceous, fresh, herbaceous odor reminiscent of lavender

Chemical properties

There are two essential oils—Lavandin oil: Obtained by steam distillation of the flowering stalks, lavandin oil has strong, lavender-like, but more pronounced camphoraceous, odor; Lavandin abrial oil: Also obtained by steam distillation of the plant material in much higher yields. The odor of this oil is more earthy and camphoraceous than lavandin oil and also is reminiscent of lavender

Occurrence

Found in the plant Lavandula hybrida Reverchon (Fam. Labiatae).

Preparation

By steam distillation of the flowering stalks of Lavandula hybrida Reverchon (Gildemeister & Hoffman, 1961).

Definition

Extractives and their physically modified derivatives. Lavandula hybrida = Lavandula officinalis + Lavandula latifolia, Labiatae.

Essential oil composition

Generally lavender flowers contain 1 to 3% essential oil. Hybrids of lavandin contain a higher volatile oil with variable composition. Lavender oil is a complex mixture of approximately 150 compounds; the most abundant of these are linaloyl acetate (30 to 55%), linalool (20 to 35%), cineole, camphor, β-ocimene, limonene, caproic acid, caryophyllene oxide and tannins (5 to 10%).

Essential oil composition

The main constituents of lavandin oil include linalool, linalyl acetate, camphor, cineol, borneol, terpenes and ethylamyl ketone. The essential oil from Lavandula angustifolia Mill. is characterized by the presence of alcohols (58.8%) and esters (32.7%).