Lavandula, commonly known as Lavender, is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants from the Mint family, Lamiaceae.
Native to the Old World, the most widely cultivated species is Lavandula angustifolia, and the colour Lavender takes its name from this plant.
Lavender has been used for centuries in traditional medicine and cosmetics. In 1935 a French chemist named Rene-Maurice Gattefosse coined the term "aromatherapy" after he burned himself in the lab and discovered that lavender was an effective treatment for a burn.
In Ancient Egypt, lavender was used during funerary rights when they would mummify bodies. In ancient Greece, lavender was used to soothe headaches and indigestion.
Melissa is a variety of English lavender that is pale pink, almost white, in colour. There are yellow species of lavender! The colour doesn't affect the fragrance; White Grosso is a lavender variety that is very potent and blooms white.
