Part of the mint family , lavender arise in many dissimilar coinage , including some hybrid varieties , which drift widely in height , flush colors , foliage characteristic and colour , build and blooming seasons . Because many of the main lavender varieties have such differences in appearance and flower scent , you’re able to easily distinguish between them . Identifying specific hybrids is trickier , however , because they are often too similar in appearance and scent to the parent metal money . Simply use your olfactory organ and eye to identify lilac works .
Step 1
Identify English lavender ( L. angustifolia ) by its sweet fragrance with less of a camphor olfactory property . you may also identify English lavender by its prime period , which start in former summertime .
Step 2
smudge spike lavender ( L. latifolia ) by its trivial resemblance to English lavender , but with a more camphorous fragrance . The spike lavender flowers later than English lavender and is less insensate - tolerant . It has distinct , marked , long sidelong branch that make the plant look like it has wings .
Step 3
Spot Lavandin ( L. x intermedia ) by its hybrid characteristic between the English and spike lavenders . Look for the Lavandin ’s foresightful , dark-green - gray leaves and rounded appearance . Its long spikes of dark violet to white heyday emit a strong , honeyed and slightly camphorous fragrance .
Step 4
seem for highly - compressed peak spikes with prominent , showy but sterile bracts to identify the Spanish lavender ( L. stoechas ) . The Spanish lavender is much less hardy than English lavender and its bloom emit a rosemary - lavender scent . This lavender variety is known for its early bloom spurt in mid - spring in mild climates , watch over by a normal flower period beginning in early summertime .
Step 5
describe French lavender ( L. dentata ) by its brilliant green leaves that have " jaggy " foliage border . The French lavender is n’t as fragrant as other lavender species , but it sure as shooting more colorful . The entire plant appear silvery - grey because of all the fine , cushy hairs that cover the plant . The Gallic lavender has medium - duration ear , or florescence , with compact flowers in light purple and light lavender - blue color .
Step 6
face for finely sort out foliage and small purple bloom set atop prospicient stem to distinguish fernleaf lavender ( L. multifida ) . This plant has ok , dim hairsbreadth with secure , earthy - perfumed leafage , and reaches only one and one - one-half feet in height .
Step 7
Use your nose to identify gullible lavender ( L. viridis ) , which has bright - green , pine - odoriferous foliation that begins to sense like rosemary - lavender when brushed . The compact blush are creamy yellow and greenish - chickenhearted , making the entire plant appear light-green .
Step 8
Keep an centre out for vivid blue efflorescence and leafage with a Second Earl Grey , " felt - same " appearing to identify L. pinnata . Pinnata lavender also has a trademark biting pine scent with a blossom season in late wintertime .
Step 9
wait for dense hairs heavily get over foliage and produce a milky coloration to spot the woolly lavender ( L. lanata ) . The spikes are bright reddish blue on wooly lavenders , but the potent camphor smell that verge on a menthol odour is the real distinctive attribute . Conversely , L. Sawyers has a very pleasant fragrance and search more like a rounded scrub . sawyer lavender has thick silvern - white foliage and vibrant over-embellished spike .
Tip
The L. Richard Gray is a nanus cultivar and is silvery - grayish and rounded . If you see deep - purple , velvety spikes surround by a strikingly silvern - white-hot bush , you ’ve found the L. Silver Frost .
Warning
Allardi ( L. x allardii ) is a hybrid of Gallic lavender and it ’s difficult to key out between the two , except for allardi lavender ’s impressive pinnacle of four to five feet . Sweet lavender ( L. x heterophylia ) is also a loan-blend , with violet blooms but otherwise very similar to Gallic lavender ’s appearance and scent .
