Medicinal and aromatic plants – industrial profiles

Hybrids
L. x christiana
Gattef. and Maire
A hybrid only known in cultivation between 
L. canariensis
and 
L. pinnata
which first appeared in
the 1930s in garden of J. Gattefossé at Aïn-Seba in Morocco, where he cultivated both parents.
The taxonomy of the genus 
Lavandula 
L.
25

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This hybrid is frequently misidentified and sold as either parent, 
L. canariensis
or 
L. pinnata.
Lavandula
Sidonie™ originating from Australia is of this parentage.
Forms an attractive large woody shrub to 50–80 cm and now becoming quite widely 
cultivated. The plants appear to express hybrid vigour in forming such large plants, totally atyp-
ical of 
L. pinnata
which usually only reaches 30 cm, and exceeding the usual dimensions of 
L. canariensis
. The leaves resemble 
L. canariensis
in form bearing the typical bipinnate lobing and
have the dense white felt of 
L pinnata
. The large bracts exceeding the calyx in length are typical
of 
L. pinnata
. Flowers deep blue mauve.