Lavender Essential Oil

Lavandin is an aromatic evergreen shrub that is much larger than true Lavender. An evergreen woody shrub growing to 3 feet high with green, narrow, linear leaves producing violet-blue flowers, the entire plant is covered with oil glands, which are in the star-shaped hairs that cover the plant. The flowering heads are more compressed with a dull, gray blue color. This hybrid apparently evolved naturally near the seas in Spain, Italy and France. It is now commercially produced in these same countries. Lavandin is used almost exclusively for scent. Many commercial manufacturers use both Lavandin Grosso and Lavandin Abrialis as replacements for Lavender 40/42, but they have a much rougher, camphorous scent. 

Lavandin is the Latin genus referring to Lavender. There are about 39 different recognized species of this plant. Countless variations have been produced due to the ability to cross pollinate with other members in the Lavender spices. Lavandula was thought to originate in Asia but the greatest plant diversity is found in the western regions of the world.

Essential oils are produced in the cells of aromatic plants and are held in specialized glands. They are released from the plant and collected (concentrated) most often through steam distillation (and sometimes hydro or water distillation or a combination thereof). Distillation is a method of separating components based on differences in volatile constituents in a heated mixture. Steam distillation involves bubbling steam through the plant material.