Growing lavender

Lavender is a fascinating flower as much for its beauty than for its many health and well-being benefits. Find out more about its origins as well as the differences between the most common species.

Lavender origins

Lavender belongs to the genus of about 25–30 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, which also includes thyme, savoury, oregano, mint and sage. Flowers grow at the top of stems above the foliage of the plant. The corolla, which consists of five petals, forms a tube and is inserted in a calyx that is itself fused into five sepals. The flower has four stamens (the male part of the flower) as well as the style, the elongated part, and the anther, the swollen portion containing the pollen. The pistil (the female part of the flower) encloses four dry seeds called carpels. The style shared by the four carpels opens at its top with two stigmas ready to receive pollen at fertilization.