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Lavandula
Also called Lavenders
Lavender is a genus of about 47 species of perennial, shrub-like flowering plants in the mint family, grown widely for ornament, culinary use and essential oil. The key to success is dry, sandy or gravelly, well-drained soil in full sun with good air circulation.
Lavandula (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of perennial flowering plants in the sage family, Lamiaceae. It is native to regions of the Iberian Peninsula and Mediterranean coastline (including the Adriatic coast and coastal North Africa), the Middle East, extending to the Indian subcontinent.
Many members of the genus are cultivated extensively in temperate climates as ornamental plants for garden and landscape use, for use as culinary herbs, and commercially for the extraction of essential oils. Lavender is used in traditional medicine and as an ingredient in cosmetics.
The most common form in cultivation is the common or English lavender Lavandula angustifolia (formerly named L. officinalis). A wide range of cultivars can be found. Other commonly grown ornamental species are L. stoechas, L. dentata, and L. multifida (Egyptian lavender).
Because the cultivated forms are planted in gardens worldwide, they are occasionally found growing wild as garden escapees, well beyond their natural range. Such spontaneous growth is usually harmless, but in some cases, Lavandula species have become invasive. For example, in Australia, L. stoechas has become a cause for concern; it occurs widely throughout the continent and has been declared a noxious weed in Victoria since 1920. It is regarded as a weed in parts of Spain.
English lavender · French lavender · Woolly Lavender · Broadleaved lavender · Lavender · Cut Leaf Lavender · Spanish Lavender · Lavandula pinnata · Downy Lavender · French lavender
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lavandula by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
