Lavandula

Lavandula (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of perennial flowering plants in the mints family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World, primarily found across the drier, warmer regions of mainland Eurasia, with an affinity for maritime breezes.

Lavender is found on the Iberian Peninsula and around the entirety of the Mediterranean coastline (including the Adriatic coast, the Balkans, the Levant, and coastal North Africa), in parts of Eastern and Southern Africa and the Middle East, as well as in South Asia and on 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 also commercially for the extraction of essential oils. Lavender is used in traditional medicine and as an ingredient in cosmetics.