Lavender - Definition and Overview

For the color shade, see Lavender (color)

The Lavenders are the genus Lavandula of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. They are small woody plants. The name is most often applied to those species in the genus that are grown as herbs and for ornament. The commonest forms of these is the English Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia (formerly L. officinalis). A wide range of cultivated forms can be found. Other commonly grown ornamental species are L. stoechas, L. dentata, L. multifida.

Lavenders are much grown in gardens. Flower spikes are used for dried flower arrangements. The fragrant, pale purple flowers and flower buds are used in potpourris. Dried and sealed in pouches, they are placed among stored items of clothing to give a fresh fragrance and as a deterrent to moths. The plant is also grown commercially for extraction of lavender oil from the flowers. This oil is used as an antiseptic and for aromatherapy.

Lavender blossoms yield abundant nectar which yields a high quality honey for beekeepers. Lavender varietal honey is produced primarily in the nations around the Mediterranean, and marketed worldwide as a premium product. Lavender blossoms can be candied and are used as cake decoration. Lavender is also used as a herb, either alone or as an ingredient of herbes de Provence.

The genus Lavandula includes annuals, herbaceous plants and sub-shrubs, and small shrubs. The native range of the genus extends across the Canary Islands, North and East Africa, south Europe and the Mediterranean, Arabia, and India. Because the cultivated forms are planted in gardens world-wide, they are occasionally found growing wild, as garden escapes, well beyond their natural range.

Flower of cultivated lavender; Lavandula stoechas or Spanish lavender

External link

• the genus Lavandula - mediterranean climate gardening throughout the world (http://www.mediterraneangardensociety.org/plants/Lavandula.html) -- Includes information on different species and cultivars.