lavender
Lavandula L.
A genus overview; characteristics vary between its species.
Lavenders are best known for fragrance, but the genus includes a wider variety of forms than a single row of purple garden plants suggests. Most are small shrubs, though some are herbaceous. Their aromatic foliage is used in perfumery and household products, and both leaf shape and flower display vary among species. NC State Extension: LavandulaFlora of China: Lavandula
Botanical name
Lavandula L. is accepted in Lamiaceae. The genus-level record encompasses several distinct lavenders and does not imply a particular species or cultivated hybrid. Kew Plants of the World Online: Lavandula
Recognizing the plant
Leaves can be simple or divided, often gray-green and finely hairy. Small flowers are arranged in whorled groups along terminal spikes. Each has a tubular calyx enclosing the base of a two-lipped corolla. The upper lip of the corolla is divided into two lobes and the lower into three; four stamens remain inside the tube. After flowering, small smooth, shiny nutlets develop. Some cultivated plants have pale or white flowers rather than the familiar blue-purple shades. NC State Extension: LavandulaFlora of China: Lavandula
Native range
The native distribution stretches from the Atlantic islands of Macaronesia through the Mediterranean, parts of Africa and southwestern Asia toward India. The genus includes plants from both European and non-European landscapes. Kew Plants of the World Online: Lavandula
Ecological relationships
North Carolina Extension identifies cultivated lavenders as nectar plants for bees and butterflies. NC State Extension: Lavandula
Botanical sources
Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.