Effect of Plant Age on Botanical Characteristics and Chemical Composition of Essential Oil from Lavandin

We investigated changes in botanical characteristics and essential oils from the flowers of lavandin at different plant ages. This research focused on changes in the flowers and both content and composition of essential oil extracted from lavandin CAS08 (Lavandula angustifolia Mill. ×Lavandula latifolia Medik.) of different aged plants collected from Yunnan, China. The results showed significant differences (P < 0.05) in botanical characteristics among the different aged flowers of lavandin CAS08. Moreover, differences in essential oil content also occurred in annual, biennial and three-year-old plants (3.40%, 2.37% and 3.60% respectively). The major components of the essential oil were eucalyptol, linalool, camphor and α-bisabolol. The age of plants had an effect on the relative content of chemical compositions. The findings of this study provide a reference for the industrialization of lavandin and sustainable extraction of oil content from plants grown in Yunnan.