stalks and flowers in distillation of lavender question

[Guest guest]

Dear List,

I just returned from Provence in France and saw that the distillers were not

distilling just the blossoms of lavender but the stalks as well. Is this

routine for all distillers? I can see why they do it since theprocess of

harvesting results in cutting the stalks with the blossoms. Does anyone know

the

composition of the oil from just the blossom and just the stalks? I have been

very laboriously (with the help of friends) using just the blossoms. My

lavender is " grosso " which is called in the fields I visited: lavandin. I call

it

lavandula x intermedia " grosso " . I am trying to compare the content myself

of the two but am in the early stages of distilling the stalks separate from

the blossoms. If anyone is interested I can send you a picture of the bales

of lavender that were being put into the stills.

Jan Young