lavender

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lavender

lavender common name for any plant of the genus Lavandula, herbs or shrubby plants of the family Labiatae ( mint family), most of which are native to the Mediterranean region but naturalized elsewhere. The true lavender ( L. officinalis ) has grayish foliage and small blue or pale purplish flowers (white in one variety). It is popular for herb gardens and is cultivated commercially (chiefly in France and England) or, more commonly, gathered wild (in S Europe) for the fragrant flowers, valued for scenting linens and clothes and as the source of oil of lavender. The oil is distilled for use in perfumery, in toilet preparations (e.g., lavender water). Lavender is sometimes used as a flavoring. Spike lavender ( L. latifolia ), a broader-leaved, less fragrant species, yields spike-lavender oil, which is also used in perfumery and in varnishes and porcelain painting. Lavender is classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Magnoliopsida, order Lamiales, family Labiatae.

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lavender

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

lavender fragrant labiate plant. XV. —AN. lavendre, for *lavendle—medL. lavendula
, also livendula, lavindula, etc.; of uncert. orig.

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T. F. HOAD. "lavender." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 15 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "lavender." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (December 15, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-lavender.html

T. F. HOAD. "lavender." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved December 15, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-lavender.html

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	Lavender: high on the sun-drenched plateaus and hills, around Provence in southeastern France, you will find a beautiful plant growing. From early July to September the air becomes enchanted with its perfume; and the fields are blanketed with a rich, majestic purple-blue that covers the land from the Rhone River to the west, almost to the Italian border to the east.(Herb Watch: Relax!) Magazine article from: Vibrant Life; 3/1/2006
	Lavender Leads Xavier Against UCLA News Wire article from: AP Online; 3/29/2008
	"Laid out in Lavender". Magazine article from: Art Culinaire; 3/22/2006

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