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Electronic Flora of South Australia genus Fact Sheet

Family: Lamiaceae
Lavandula

Citation: L., Sp. Pl. 572 (1753).

Derivation: Medieval Latin name for one of the species but origin uncertain although sometimes it is said to be derived from Latin lavare, to wash.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Lavenders.

Description:
Perennial shrubs with quadrangular branches becoming terete and woody towards the base, villous to woolly with branched hairs; leaves sessile, opposite, pinnatifid to entire.

Inflorescence a dense thyrse with sessile part-inflorescences more or less hidden by broad bracts and without internodes visible between them; sepals more or less completely and equally connate with lobes about equal and short except the dorsal lobe being continued into a broad terminal appendage, with branched to stellately branched hairs; corolla not 2-lipped but slightly zygomorphic, with 3 anterior lobes usually slightly shorter; stamens 4 fertile, inserted in about the middle of the corolla tube; anthers with 2 cells fertile and scarcely diverging at the base, included; ovary deeply 4-lobed, with each locule with 1 basal ovule, with a gynobasic style with a scarcely 2-lobed terminal stigma.

Fruit usually with 4 mericarps each oblong-obovoid with a distinct keel inside, with an attachment scar small, more or less round, basal.

Distribution:  About 28 species mainly from the Mediterranean region but extending into north-east Africa and as far as India; 3 species are naturalised in Australia.

Biology: No text

Key to Species:
1. Leaf margin pinnately lobed to dentate; peduncles 3-6 times longer than the spike-like inflorescence
L. dentata 1.
1. Leaf margin entire; peduncles shorter or rarely slightly longer than the spike-like inflorescence
L. stoechas 2.

Author: Not yet available


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