Identifying different lavender varieties can be a fascinating endeavor, as each type offers unique characteristics in terms of appearance, fragrance, and growing habits. While common names can sometimes be misleading, focusing on botanical classifications and key physical traits will help you distinguish between the most popular varieties. Here's a guide to help you identify them:
1. Start with the Main Types (Species): There are three primary species of lavender that are most commonly cultivated, and understanding their general characteristics is the first step:
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English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia):
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Foliage: Leaves are typically narrow, long (often up to 2-3 inches), and have smooth edges. They are usually a grayish-green, sometimes with a silvery cast.
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Flowers: The flower spikes are generally short and plump, appearing on relatively short stems above the foliage. The individual florets are densely packed. Colors range from deep violet to blue-purple, pink, and white.
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Bracts: The bracts (small leaf-like structures at the base of the flower cluster) are usually small and inconspicuous.
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Fragrance: Known for its sweet, floral, and classic "true lavender" scent. It's less camphoraceous than other types.
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Bloom Time: Typically blooms in late spring to early summer, often with a smaller second flush later.
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Growth Habit: Forms a neat, compact, mounding shrub.
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Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas):
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Foliage: Leaves are generally shorter, broader, and more grayish-green than English lavender, often with finely serrated edges that may not be obvious without close inspection.
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Flowers: This is the easiest to identify due to its distinctive flower heads. They are typically compact, pinecone-shaped, and topped with prominent, colorful petal-like bracts that resemble "bunny ears" or "flags." These bracts can be purple, pink, or white.
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Bracts: This is the key distinguishing feature.
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Fragrance: The flowers often have a stronger, more resinous, or camphoraceous scent, sometimes described as eucalyptus-like, which differs from the sweet scent of English lavender. The foliage can also be quite aromatic.
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Bloom Time: Often blooms earlier than English lavender, typically in mid to late spring, and can have a very long bloom period with repeat flushes through summer and even into fall in warm climates.
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Growth Habit: Tends to form a more upright, somewhat looser shrub compared to English lavender.
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French Lavender (Lavandula dentata):
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Foliage: Distinctive, deeply toothed or serrated (dentate means "toothed") leaves, usually green to grayish-green. The leaves are often longer than those of Spanish lavender.
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Flowers: The flower spikes are slender and generally topped with small, delicate, somewhat wispy bracts, not as prominent or "ear-like" as Spanish lavender. The individual flowers are typically violet or purple.
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Fragrance: The overall plant (foliage and flowers) has a strong, herbaceous, slightly rosemary-like or camphoraceous scent, less sweet than English lavender.
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Bloom Time: Known for its exceptionally long blooming season, often blooming almost continuously from spring through fall in warm climates.
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Growth Habit: Tends to be a larger, more sprawling, or shrubby plant than English or Spanish lavenders.
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2. Observe Specific Cultivar Traits (Within Species): Once you've narrowed it down to a species, look for cultivar-specific traits, though these can be harder to discern without a known label or side-by-side comparison.
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Size and Growth Habit: Is it dwarf, compact, or large and robust? Is it upright or more spreading?
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Flower Color: While many are purple, shades vary from very dark purple to lighter violet-blue, pink, or white. Spanish lavenders have unique bract colors.
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Foliage Color: Some cultivars have particularly silvery foliage, while others are greener.
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Bloom Period: Does it bloom early, mid-season, or late? Does it rebloom reliably?
3. Consider Regionality and Climate: Knowing where the lavender is growing can offer clues. For instance, in colder climates, it's highly likely to be English lavender or certain hardy Lavandin varieties, as other types won't survive the winter outdoors. In hot, humid climates, Spanish or French lavenders might be more prevalent than English lavenders, which can struggle with humidity.
4. The "Lavandins" (Lavandula x intermedia): These are hybrids of English and Spike lavender, often confused with English lavender due to similar flower shapes but distinct in other ways:
Foliage: Generally broader and grayer than English lavender, sometimes slightly toothed.
Flowers: Long, slender flower spikes on very long stems, appearing much taller and more widely spaced than English lavender flowers. The individual florets are usually more spaced out on the stem.
Fragrance: A more pungent, often camphoraceous scent, a mix between sweet English and sharp spike lavender.
Growth Habit: Typically much larger plants (3-4 feet tall and wide or more) forming substantial mounds.
Bloom Time: Usually blooms later than English lavender, often from mid-summer into late summer.
Practical Identification Tips:
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Rub a Leaf: The scent of the foliage can be a strong identifier, especially between English (sweet), Spanish (eucalyptus/resinous), and French (herbaceous/rosemary).
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Look at the Bracts: The "bunny ears" of Spanish lavender are unmistakable. French lavender has small, wispy bracts, while English and Lavandins have inconspicuous ones.
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Examine Flower Stems: Are they short and dense, long and robust, or topped with ears?
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Consider Mature Size: Lavandins grow much larger than most English lavenders.
By carefully observing these characteristics, you can become quite adept at identifying the different popular lavender varieties in a garden or nursery.