Lavandula (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of perennial flowering plants in the mints family, Lamiaceae.

[1] It is native to the Old World, primarily found across the drier, warmer regions of mainland Eurasia, with an affinity for maritime breezes.

[2] 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.

[3] 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.

The flowers may be blue, violet, or lilac in the wild species, occasionally blackish purple or yellowish.

[6] Some 100 individual phytochemicals have been identified in lavender oil, including major contents of linalyl acetate (30–55%), linalool (20–35%), tannins (5–10%), and caryophyllene (8%), with lesser amounts of sesquiterpenoids, perillyl alcohols, esters, oxides, ketones, cineole, camphor, beta-ocimene, limonene, caproic acid, and caryophyllene oxide.

Within the Lavandula clade, the subclades correspond to the existing sections but place Dentatae separately from Stoechas, not within it.

Upson & S.Andrews The English word lavender came into use in the 13th century, and is generally thought to derive from Old French lavandre,[15] ultimately from Latin lavare from lavo (to wash),[16] referring to the use of blue infusions of the plants for bathing.

[26] The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) states that lavender is considered likely safe in food amounts, and that topical uses may cause allergic reactions.

[27] It recommends caution if young boys use lavender oil because of possible hormonal effects leading to gynecomastia.

[27][28][29] A 2007 study examined the relationship between various fragrances and photosensitivity, stating that lavender is known "to elicit cutaneous photo-toxic reactions", but does not induce photohaemolysis.

English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) yields an oil with sweet overtones and can be used in balms, salves, perfumes, cosmetics, and topical applications.

[32] They yield a similar essential oil, but with higher levels of terpenes, including camphor, which add a sharper overtone to the fragrance, regarded by some as of lower quality than that of English lavender.

The US Food and Drug Administration considers lavender as generally recognized as safe for human consumption.

[36] Spanish nard (Old French: "spykenard de spayn le pays"), referring to L. stoechas, is listed as an ingredient in making a spiced wine, namely hippocras, in The Forme of Cury.

[38] French lambs have been allowed to graze on lavender as it is alleged to make their meat more tender and fragrant.

[39] In the 21st century, lavender is used in many world regions to flavor tea, vinegar, jellies, baked goods, and beverages.

The potency of the lavender buds increases with drying which necessitates more sparing use to avoid a heavy, soapy aftertaste.

Chefs note to reduce by two-thirds the dry amount in recipes that call for fresh lavender buds.

[36] The German scientific committee on traditional medicine, Commission E, reported uses of lavender flower in practices of herbalism, including its use for restlessness or insomnia, Roemheld syndrome, intestinal discomfort, and cardiovascular diseases, among others.

Dried and sealed in pouches, lavender flowers are placed among stored items of clothing to give a fresh fragrance and to deter moths.

The ancient Greeks called the lavender herb νάρδος: nárdos, Latinized as nardus, after the Syrian city of Naarda (possibly the modern town of Duhok, Iraq).

[5] During Roman times, flowers were sold for 100 denarii per pound, which was about the same as a month's wages for a farm laborer, or fifty haircuts from the local barber.

[50][49] 'By the Greeks the name Nardus is given to Lavender, from Naarda, a city of Syria near the Euphrates, and many persons call the plant "Nard."

It was formerly believed that the asp, a dangerous kind of viper, made Lavender its habitual place of abode, so that the plant had to be approached with great caution.'