Its native populations are located in western and northern Italy, southeastern France and eastern Spain and at an altitude of almost 1800 meters above sea level. Its habitats are located on the sunny sides of the mountains of these areas and on poor, rocky and calcareous soils. Although Mediterranean origin tolerates or can withstand low temperatures up to -12 ° C.

Extremely adaptive plant, English Lavender spread over time and beyond its original areas, either naturally or with the contribution of the man who cultivated it for productive or ornamental purposes.


Lavandula angustifolia is a perennial evergreen, in warm winter areas, dwarf shrub 30 to 90 cm high and 60 to 90 cm in diameter. It has dense form and gray-green to green foliage. Its leaves are simple, slightly tomentose, linear to lanceolate-linear up to 5 cm and carried oppositely to square cross-section stems.

Its numerous verticillaster flowers appear on terminal spikes and are purple in color. Leaflike bracts are in an opposite arrangement below each whorl and usually are shorter than calyces. The purple-gray in color calyx is tubular, ribbed and hairy with shiny oil glands among the hairs visible with a hand lens.
Both leaves and flowers are aromatic because they contain essential oil which distills, however the essential oil extracted from its flower peaks is of superior quality.
Both the plant itself and its plant parts along with the essential oil are used in many ways.Lavandula angustifolia is traditionally used as a herbal diaphoretic, diuretic, anthelmintic and tonic.

Essential oil has a wide scope of application and is used in perfumery, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, soap industries, and in the detergent industry.Dried flowers of Lavandula angustifolia is used for ornamental purposes, to protect clothes from the moth and for the fragrance as deodorant of the interior.

The climate is characterised by hot dry summers and humid, cool winters. It is also very capricious with sudden heavy rain or bouts of high winds such as the Sirocco and Mistral. This climate has a profound influence on the vegetation and wildlife of the region.Whilst the Mediterranean scrub is synonymous with the region, there are many other species-rich habitats here. Large tracts of natural, virtually pristine, forests have remained relatively untouched by man. While most central and northern European forests are now dominated by only a dozen or so tree species, the Mediterranean forests are much more diverse, harbouring up to 100 different tree species.

Too dry for trees, other areas of the Mediterranean are covered in grasslands. These semi-arid steppic areas may seem barren and lifeless but, on closer inspection, reveal an equally rich wildlife. These grasslands are prime locations for the great bustard (Otis tarda), the little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) and a whole range of ground-nesting birds such as the pin-tailed sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata).

Where water is more bountiful, wetlands appear at regular intervals, ranging from tiny coastal lagoons to vast deltas around the long coastline. They harbour hundreds of species of endemic fish, amphibians and insects which, in turn, attract huge flocks of waders and dabbling ducks, especially during the migration season. Up to two billion birds migrate to, or through, the Mediterranean Region every year. Some merely stop over for a few days to refuel before crossing the Sahara but others spend the entire winter here to escape the cold weather further north.

As for the Mediterranean Sea, its clear blue waters are famous throughout the world. It harbours a tremendous diversity of marine organisms, many of which are endemic to the region. It is estimated that the Mediterranean contains 8–9 % of all the world’s marine creatures. Many of the lesser-known sponges, sea squirts and crustaceans can be found hidden amongst the vast underwater meadows or Posidonia beds that grow in shallow coastal waters.

The Mediterranean Region is under tremendous pressure due to human activities. It is the number one tourism destination in the world. As a result, much of the Mediterranean coastline has disappeared under concrete. There are chronic water shortages and a constant threat of forest fires. Inland, many of the ancient pastoral regimes are being abandoned because they are no longer economically viable