Lavender is a bushy, branching shrub, whose lower branches are woody,
although the young stems are herbaceous. It grows to a maximum height of
three feet. Stems and leaves are covered with fine grey hairs. The evergreen
leaves are silvery grey, eight times as long as wide, up to two inches in
length, linear, smooth edged, and opposite. The flowers are produced on
terminating, wiry blunt spikes 6-8 inches long, and grow in whorls of 6-8
flowers, subtended by short pointed bracts. The calyx is purple-grey,
tubular, with thirteen veins and five lobes, one of which is slightly larger
than the others. The small purple-blue flowers have four stamens and a
tubular corolla with two lips: the upper lip has two lobes and the lower lip
three. Examination of the corolla with a hand lens shows a dense covering of
stellate hairs and small shiny oil glands. It is most often identified by
its fragrant, characteristic odour. Flowers June to September.
There are dozens, if not hundreds of genotypes, all with subtle and
sometimes great genetic variation, both in the morphology and the chemical
composition of the essential oil. English lavender (Lavandula
angustifolia) is the most widely grown lavender.
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Lavender
