Dig into Plants: English Lavender

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English Lavender

Scientific Name: Lavandula angustifolia

Native to Alabama: No, non-invasive

Wikimedia – Maja Dumat

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BASIC INFORMATION

ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS

MAINTENANCE NOTES

HABITAT REQUIREMENTS

LEAF, FLOWER & SEED ID

PLANT LIFE CYCLE

Basic Plant Information

Wikimedia – Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen

I am a vascular plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous.
I keep leaves year-round, so I am evergreen.
I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial.
I can grow 2 – 3 feet high and 2 – 4 feet wide.

Ecological Benefits

This plant provides food for:

Butterflies

Other Pollinators

Maintenance Notes

Not dormant in the winter.
Flowers can be cut for an indoor vase.
Remove spent flowers to promote continued bloom.
In the winter, leaves are silvery-green to gray-bronzed.
Poorly drained soil causes root rot.
In Spring, prune to shape after leaves appear.
To promote new groth and control size, prune back to 8 inches every three years.
When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds. Water should reach all roots.
Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves.
Requires average amount of water.

Average watering: water two times per week during the summer and once per week during the rest of the year.

Habitat Requirements

This plant prefers:

Full Sun
(6+ hours of sun per day)

Average Watering

Well-drained or Sandy Soil

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

Wikimedia – David J. Stang

LEAF DESCRIPTION

Square stems; leaves are soft, velvety, highly aromatic, gray-green to green-purple in summer, narrow, up to 2.5 inches long and less than an inch wide.

Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)


Shape: Linear or Lanceolate	Margin: Entire/Smooth

Arrangement: Opposite	Form: Simple

Wikimedia – H. Zell

FLOWER DESCRIPTION

Aromatic flowers in clusters on spikes up to 3 inches long; flower is less than a half inch in size, trumpet-shaped, 2-lipped with 2 lobes on the upper lip and 3 lobes on the lower lip

Flower Shape Chart (JPG)


Color: Purple, white, pink	Shape: Funnelform	Bloom Months: Jun – Aug

Stock Photo Unavailable

SEED DESCRIPTION

Plant spreads by:
Seeds
Will self-seed


Type: Fruit – Nut	Description: Flowers dry and release nutlets

Plant Life Cycle

Plant Life Cycle:

All plants start life as a seed.
The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots.
The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground.
After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers.
After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed.
When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again.
Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.

General Plant Life Cycle – Dreamstime

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Ready as-is PDF

QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Editable Word Doc

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Editable Word Doc

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