How much do you know about the national flowers of countries around the world?

Lavender, English name "lavender"

Lavender is a fragrant small purple-blue flower native to the Mediterranean region, and the most famous area is Provence in southern France. Due to its beautiful and aromatic inflorescences and romantic colors, it is known as the "tranquil perfume plant." The strong fragrance of lavender gives people a sense of peace and calmness, and has the effect of purifying the mind and body. Ancient Romans often used it for bathing and aromatherapy.

Lavender prefers dry conditions. Its flower shape resembles wheat ears with long stems. The flowers are covered with star-shaped fine hairs, and tiny purple-blue flowers bloom at the tips. The narrow leaves are gray-green, and when fully grown, the plant can reach up to 80 cm in height, usually blooming in June. Whenever the wind blows through the fields during the flowering season, the entire lavender field looks like deep purple waves undulating gracefully, creating a stunningly beautiful scene.

In medieval times, due to lavender's insect-repellent properties, people often placed sachets made of lavender in cabinets to drive away insects. The Romans, because of its antibacterial properties, frequently used lavender for baths and cleaning wounds. During the world wars, when antibiotics were scarce, lavender was used to combat inflammation. In recent years, due to its remarkable effects, beautiful colors, and captivating fragrance, lavender has moved beyond being a "traditional herb" and become one of the main ingredients in the popular 'aromatherapy'. The essential oil extracted from lavender is the most versatile among all aromatic oils for therapeutic purposes.

The Legend of Lavender and Love

The purple-blue lavender is often associated with romantic love. When you and your lover are amidst the lavender fields, and the wind blows, the warm purple sea of nature creates a mesmerizing allure, as if time has stopped just for you. The Provence region of France and Furano in Hokkaido, Japan, have thus remained forever beautiful and are often chosen as settings for romantic movies.

There are many love stories related to lavender, but strangely, many of these stories involve either devils or something sacred, possibly because lavender has long been considered a sacred herb with mystical powers. There was such a legend in medieval Europe: a beautiful village girl met an elegant handsome gentleman and had secret meetings with him for several days. They even planned to elope together. However, the day before their planned elopement, the girl suddenly began to doubt the identity of the gentleman and secretly carried a bunch of lavender with her. The next day, when the gentleman appeared to take her away, the girl secretly took out the lavender bouquet and threw it at her lover - only to discover that the gentleman was actually a terrifying devil! The devil, exposed, was both shocked and angry, but fearing the sacred power of lavender, he fled hastily. This shows that lavender isn't necessarily an aphrodisiac!

In Portugal, it is especially important to be polite to women, which is a social custom and should not be overlooked. Lavender is Portugal's national flower. The Portuguese people greatly appreciate lavender because it not only has ornamental value but also significant economic value, as it is an important raw material for making soap, sanitary soap, cologne water, cooling oil, shampoo lotion, and cold cream.

Lavender Flower Language -- Waiting for Love