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Lavender Fields
Lavender
is native to the Southern Alps, and different varieties grow wild
throughout the region. In the 16th century, the
Provençal peasants produced lavender oil to heal wounds and
expel intestinal worms.
The true lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) that thrives in the chalky soils and hot, dry climate of higher altitudes of the Provence was picked systematically at the end of the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, fields of lavender were first planted, at altitudes above 700 m.
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| Since the true lavender grows best at over 700 m, a hybrid, Lavandin, wasdeveloped for cultivation at lower altitudes.
Flowers and leaf-stalks can be dried for perfuming bed-linen and to keep moths away from your
clothes. Lavender essence is used commercially in the perfume, soap and pharmaceutical industries. Dried lavender is packaged in small cloth sacks and sold worldwide. Dried lavender is also used for cooking and for herbal cures.
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