Lavandula multifida, the fernleaf lavender[1] or Egyptian lavender,[2] is a small plant, sometimes a shrub, native to the southern regions of the Mediterranean, including Iberia, Sicily, Northwest Africa and the Canary Islands.

Lavandula multifida
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Lavandula
Species:
L. multifida
Binomial name
Lavandula multifida

The plant grows up to 24 in (61 cm) tall.[1] The stems are grey and woolly. Leaves are fernlike, double pinnate and silver to green in colour.[1] Dark blue or violet flowers may be either single or three-pronged,[3] and are borne on long stems held above the foliage.

L. multifida is grown both as a herb and as an ornamental plant. Foliage is aromatic, but it has been noted that the scent is closer to that of oregano than to other kinds of lavender.[4] In cooler latitudes it is killed by winter frost, but can be grown as an annual. Cultivars include 'Spanish Eyes'.[5]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Lavandula multifida - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  2. ^ "Lavandula multifida | Egyptian lavender Shrubs/RHS Gardening". www.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  3. ^ "Lavandula multifida (Fern Leaf Lavender)". My Mediterranean Garden. 2022-07-12. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  4. ^ "Lavandula multifida | Egyptian lavender Shrubs/RHS Gardening". www.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  5. ^ Lemke, Cal (October 2006). "Lavandula multifida 'Spanish Eyes'". Cal's Plant of the Week. University of Oklahoma Department of Botany & Microbiology. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
edit