The Genus Lavandula
A Botanical Magazine Monograph

a book by Tim Upson and Susyn Andrews

Illustrations by Georita Harriott, Christabel King, and Joanna Langhorne

Long prized by the fragrance industry for its essential oils, the genus Lavandula is steadily increasing in popularity among gardeners and horticulturists worldwide. This is the first full treatment of this important genus to be undertaken since 1937. It treats 40 species and their cultivars and hybrids, presenting their taxonomy, distribution, and the history of their cultivation. With several useful appendices, as well as chapters on cultivation, propagation, and pests and diseases, The Genus Lavandula is a comprehensive and authoritative account of this important genus. Exquisite paintings from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, complement the text.

Media reviews of this book:

“This is likely to be the ’last word’ on lavender!”

—E. Charles Nelson, Newsletter of The Irish Garden Plant Society, January 2005

“It should set the standard for such academic horticultural treatments for years to come.”

—G.D. Dreyer, CHOICE, February 2005

“All round this is a wonderful book, beautifully produced.”

—Malcolm McGregor, The Rock Garden, January 2005

“In all, this book can only enhance our understanding and appreciation of Lavandula .”

—Jekka McVicar, The Garden, October 2004

“A ‘hefty’ book, this monograph is a rich tome of information.”

—Andrew Van Hevelingen, The Herb Companion, March 2005

Publishing details:

Hardcover, 442 pages, 7.4"x9.6", 30 color plates, 4 b&w photos, 126 color photos, 28 maps, 41 line drawings, 12 tables

©2004, Timber Press, ISBN 0-88192-642-6

An excerpt from this book:

Lavenders have been known since ancient times. The first written account can be traced to the Greek physician Dioscorides in about AD 65 (Anderson, 1977), who knew Lavandula stoechas and wrote primarily of its medicinal value. Throughout the Middle Ages new written works on botany were rare but the Abbess Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) is credited with the earliest mention of lavender (probably referable to Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula latifolia) and discussed their medicinal properties.

During the Renaissance new works became more common and the invention of printing in Europe enabled much larger quantities of books to be produced. In the field of botany the first of these new works were the herbals and these related primarily to the value of plants for medicine and food. Given the attributes assocated with lavender it is of no surprise that they appear in many of the herbals of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and the recognition of several species can be attributed to the herbalists. These include the species we now refer to as Lavandula angustifolia, Lavandula latifolia, Lavandula multifida, Lavandula dentata and Lavandula pedunculata.

During the latter half of the sixteenth century and the early seventeenth century, interest in plants purely for their medicinal uses and other virtues began to change with the early taxonomists, who also studied plants for their intrinsic and scientific value (Stace, 1989). In this period further species were recognised, such as Lavandula viridis and Lavandula canariensis. Works of this period had a major influence on subsequent classifications. Particularly influential was the French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656–1708). He had a clear idea of generic concepts and described many genera in his most important work, Institutiones Rei Herbariae (Tournefort, 1700). He recognised what we now regard as the genus Lavandula as two separate genera, Lavandula itself (containing Lavandula spica and Lavandula multifida), and Stoechas (consisting of Lavandula stoechas and Lavandula dentata).

This brings us to modern botanical nomenclature which begins with Species Plantarum by the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus (1707–78) (Linnaeus, 1753). At that time, it was mainly the European and Mediterranean floras that were known to any great degree and this was reflected in the seven species of Lavandula then recognised. In terms of modern nomenclature the earlier names are discounted, being long phrase names which were greatly confused by different authors. Linnaeus, who used binomial names, was the first to provide modern names for some of these species: Lavandula dentata, Lavandula stoechas, Lavandula spica (including both Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula latifolia) and Lavandula multifida. Also important for the publication of the first modern binomial names, was the 8th edition of the Gardeners Dictionary (Miller, 1768). In addition to the four names recognised by Linnaeus, Philip Miller (1691–1771) recognised and provided the first binomial names for Lavandula canariensis, Lavandula angustifolia and Stoechas pedunculata (Lavandula pedunculata). Miller followed Tournefort in recognising two genera, Lavandula and Stoechas, whose classification he considered far superior to that of Linnaeus. In fact most authors of the time recognised these two genera, and Linnaeus differed by uniting them. It is Linnaeus’ generic concept that has survived to the present day.

Ordering information:

The Genus Lavandula A Botanical Magazine Monograph (Hardcover) (B-014)
Each $49.95
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Be sure to check out Digging Dog’s Lavandula selections:

Lavandula x ‘Ana Luisa’

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Graves’

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Imperial Gem’

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Miss Katherine’

Lavandula ‘England’

Lavandula x intermedia ‘Grosso’

Lavandula x intermedia ‘Hidcote Giant’

Lavandula x intermedia ‘Super’

Lavandula x intermedia ‘White Spikes’

Lavandula ‘Silver Frost’

Lavandula ‘Lisa Marie’

Lavandula ‘Richard Gray’

Lavandula stoechas ‘Kew Red’

Lavandula stoechas ‘Willow Vale’

Lavandula x intermedia ‘Provence’