LAVENDER, a genus of the gymnophyllum order, belonging to the didynamia class of plants.

Species. 1. The spike, or lavender spike, hath a short shrubby stalk, rising two or three feet high; small spear-shaped entire leaves; and from the ends of the branches, numerous, long, erect, naked spikes of small ringlet flowers, of different colours in the varieties. The varieties of this are common narrow-leaved lavender, with blue flowers, and with white flowers—broad-leaved lavender—dwarf lavender: all of them flowering in July. This species is the common lavender; but the narrow-leaved variety, with blue flowers, is the sort commonly cultivated for its flowers for medicine, &c. The French lavender, or French lavender, hath a shrubby very branchy stalk, rising two or three feet high; very narrow spear-shaped, pointed, hoary leaves, opposite; and all the branches terminated by short bushy spikes of purple flowers in June and July; succeeded Lavatera, in botany, a genus of the polyandra order, belonging to the monodelphia class of plants. There are several species, most of them herbaceous flowery annuals, or shrubby perennials, growing erect from two or three to eight or ten feet high, garnished with large roundish, heart-shaped, and angular leaves, and quinquepetalous flowers of the mallow kind. They are easily propagated by seed in the open ground in the spring; and thrive best when sown where they are designed to remain.