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Santolina chamaecyparissus

Common name:	Cotton Lavender	Family:	Compositae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	11, 100, 200
Synonyms:	Santolina incana (Lam.)
Known Hazards:	The bruised leaves have been known to cause a severe rash on sensitive skins[182].
Range:	Europe - Mediterranean. Occasionally naturalized in Britain[17].
Habitat:	Dry ground, stony banks and rocks[100], usually on calcareous soils[7].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Abrotano Hembra [E], Gray Santolina [H], Grey Santolina [H], Lavander Cotton [E], Lavender Cotton [H,P], Lavender-cotton [B], Selviotu [E],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Europe; Spain; Turkey

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 0.6m by 1m . It is hardy to zone 7. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Hedge, Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge, In Walls, In South Wall, In East Wall, In West Wall, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Condiment.

The aromatic leaves are used as a flavouring for broths, sauces, grain dishes etc[15, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antispasmodic; Disinfectant; Emmenagogue; Stings; Vermifuge.

The leaves and flowering tops are antispasmodic, disinfectant, emmenagogue, stimulant and vermifuge[4, 7, 11, 201]. Cotton lavender is rarely used medicinally[238], though it is sometimes used internally as a vermifuge for children and to treat poor digestion and menstrual problems[4, 238]. When finely ground and applied to insect stings or bites, the plant will immediately ease the pain[7]. Applied to surface wounds, it will hasten the healing process by encouraging the formation of scar tissue[7]. The leaves and flowering stems are harvested in the summer and dried for later use[238].

Other Uses

Dye; Essential; Ground cover; Hedge; Pot-pourri; Repellent.

Plants can be grown as a low formal hedge and used as an edging plant[200]. The plant is very tolerant of shearing[200]. In less exposed areas the plants can be trimmed in the autumn, otherwise they need to be cut by early April if they are to be allowed to flower[245].
Plants can also be grown for ground cover[190]. They are best spaced about 60cm apart each way[208].
The leaves are strewn amongst clothes to repel moths etc[4, 15, 18, 20, 100]. The growing plant repels various insect pests, especially cabbage moths[201]. The dried leaves are used in pot-pourri[238].
An essential oil from the leaves is used in perfumery[4], the oil is also obtained from the flowers[168].

Cultivation details

An easy and undemanding plant that does not require a rich soil, though it strongly dislikes wet conditions around the roots[1, 11, 15, 200]. Prefers a light sandy fairly poor soil on a sunny slope[200]. Prefers a chalky soil[190]. Established plants are drought tolerant[190]. They succeed in a hot dry position[190].
Hardy to about -15°c when in a well-drained soil. A very wind hardy plant, it succeeds on the top of Cornish dry-stone walls[49].
A very ornamental plant[1], there are several named varieties[245]. Cotton lavender tolerates shearing so long as this is not done at times of low resistance (winter?)[200]. Plants can be cut back hard in spring to maintain their form[200, 208], though this will prevent them flowering[208].
A good companion plant for roses[201].
Flowers are produced on two year old wood[182].
The leaves are very aromatic[190]. The bruised leaves are pleasantly pungent, though the flowers have an unpleasant smell[245]. The form S. chamaecyparissus nana has a more pungent aroma than the type[245].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Does not require pre-treatment[113]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe side shoots, 5 - 8 cm long with a heel, July/August in a frame. Roots within 2 weeks. High percentage[78]. The heeled cuttings can also be placed direct into the open garden in early July and should be well-rooted by the winter[245].
Division in spring or autumn[111]. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.
Layering.

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers have an unpleasant smell[245].
Leaves: Crushed: The bruised leaves are pleasantly pungent[245].

Cultivars

'Weston': A dwarf form, to about 30cm tall and 40cm wide, the foliage is more ornamental than the species and has a strong pungent scent[245].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Santolina incana (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for santolina chamaecyparissus (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[15] Bryan. J. and Castle. C. Edible Ornamental Garden. Pitman Publishing 1976 ISBN 0-273-00098-5
A small book with interesting ideas for edible plants in the ornamental garden.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[49] Arnold-Forster. Shrubs for the Milder Counties.
Trees and shrubs that grow well in &ndndndnd and other mild areas of Britain. Fairly good, a standard reference book.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.

[111] Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926
A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[168] Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974 ISBN 0-02-544950-8
A very good and readable book on dyeing.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[190] Chatto. B. The Dry Garden. Dent 1982 ISBN 0460045512
A good list of drought resistant plants with details on how to grow them.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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