The key difference between Lavandin and Lavender is that Lavandin is a hybrid variety of Lavandula Angustifolia and Lavandula Latifolia, whereas Lavender is a natural flowering plant.
Lavandin and Lavender are plants belonging to the mint group. Both of them are used worldwide for aromatherapeutic and medicinal benefits. Lavender is a natural plant whose essential oil has a sweet, subtle smell. Lavandin, on the other hand, is a hybrid plant whose essential oil has a strong, intense smell. Lavandin essential oil and other products are less expensive compared to lavender products.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Lavandin
3. What is Lavender
4. Lavandin vs Lavender in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Lavandin vs Lavender
What is Lavandin?
Lavandin is a hybrid plant that is used to make essential oils. This is a combination of the two plants Lavandula Angustifolia and Lavandula Latifolia. Therefore, the scientific name of Lavandin is Lavandula Hybrida and Lavandula Hortensis. The essential oil that is made from Lavandin contain ingredients like camphor, camphene, dipentene, lavandulol, linalool, linalyl acetate, cineole, caryophyllene, limonene, ocimene, and terpinene.
Lavandin has a sharp, intense smell because this is a hybrid version. The growth of this hybrid lavender plant began in the 1920s in France as a higher-oil yielding plant. At present, it is popular around the world in skincare and aromatherapy.
Uses of Lavandin Essential Oil
- Skincare
- Reduces muscle and joint pain
- Relieves headache, toothache
- Heals wounds
- Treats cough
- Prevent wound infections
- Fights depression
What is Lavender?
Lavender is a flowering plant belonging to the mint family. It is purple and has a sweet floral scent. Lavender is famous as a plant that has therapeutic and medicinal benefits. Its scientific name is ‘Lavandula’.
The Lavender plant has a history of about 2500 years and is native to India, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean mountains. This plant is grown worldwide on a large scale, while some counties like Australia and Spain consider it as a poisonous weed.
This plant grows well in dry, sandy, well-drained soils in full sun. If there is high humidity in the environment, there is a possibility for the rotting of the roots due to fungal infections. English Lavender, which is the common form of cultivation, has a germinating period of 14-28 days. It matures within 100-110 days. Lavender can be used in different forms. They are,
- Lavender oil – fragrant oil created from the nectar extracted from the flowering plant. This can be placed in diffusers, massaged onto the skin, applied to pillows and used in aromatherapy
- Lavender tea – a calming beverage that eases anxiety and promotes sleep
- Lavender supplements – available as capsules
- Lavender plant – a perennial plant with a sweet aroma
Uses of Lavender
- Wound healing
- Reduce hair loss
- Improves sleep
- To treat skin blemishes and inflammation
- Reduce blood pressure and heart rate
- Relieves asthma
- Anxiety disorders
- Relieves premenstrual emotional symptoms
What is the Difference Between Lavandin and Lavender?
The key difference between lavandin and lavender is that Lavandin is a hybrid variety of Lavandula Angustifolia and Lavandula Latifolia while Lavender is a natural flowering plant. While lavandin has a strong and intense smell, lavender has a sweet, floral, and subtle smell. Moreover, lavandin essential oil and other products are less expensive compared to lavender products.
The below infographic lists the differences between lavandin and lavender in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Lavandin vs Lavender
Lavandin is a hybrid plant that is used to make essential oils. It is a hybridization of the two plants Lavandula Angustifolia and Lavandula Latifolia. Since it is a hybrid variety, it has a strong, powerful smell. Lavandin is a higher-oil yielding plant grown for commercial purposes. This has a high camphor percentage which is usually between 6%-10%. Lavender, on the other hand, is a flowering plant belonging to the mint family. Lavender is used in various forms like plants, tea, supplements and oil. This has a very much less camphor content, which is 0%-0.6% when compared to Lavandin. Lavender oil and the products made using them are considerably expensive. Thus, this is the summary of the difference between lavandin and lavender.
Reference:
1. Jochems, Wendy F, and Paola Legarre. “Lavandin: A Rich Species.” Sage Creations Organic Farm, 2 Feb. 2020.
2. “Lavender: Health Benefits and Uses.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International.
Image Courtesy:
1. “PICT2109 – Lavandin” Heribert Bechen (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr
2. “Lavender-Field-Flowers-Purple-Flowers-Lavenders” (CC0) via MaxPixel