A variable shrub to about 1 m tall. Leaves to about 4 cm long, mostly linear, entire, grey. Flower spike mostly 2-3 cm long, with a stalk of variable length and flowers in the spike in groups of 6-10. Bracts below flowers 5-7 mm long, the petal-like bracts at the tip of the flower purple, rarely white. Calyx with 13 veins, upper tooth with a projection. Flowers to about 8 mm long, purple, pink or white.
Mediterranean
Proclaimed a noxious weed in 1920 in Victoria, where some grazing areas have become heavily infested, especially between Horsham and Hamilton and at Dunolly and Beechworth; also naturalised in WA, SA, Qld and NSW.
The subsp. luisieri (Rozeira) Rozeira from C and S Portugal and subsp. sampaiana Rozeira from W Spain and N and C Portugal are occasionally listed and have been confused with one another.
subsp. pedunculata Cav. C Spain, Portugal. [L. pedunculata Cav.]
subsp. stoechas NE Spain to Greece, Turkey, Middle East, N Africa, Madeira, Tenerife. This is the commonly cultivated subspecies with short-stalked flower heads.
Source: (2002). Lavandula. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 4. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 3. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.
Flowers white, with white sterile bracts; sometimes referred to as f. leucantha but in Australia and New Zealand this is a larger plant.
Robust, vigorously growing compact bush to about 80 cm tall with purple-mauve flower heads on long stems with purple bracts; useful for floristry. Raised in New Zealand.
Lavandula stoechas 'Helmsdale'
Slow growing, compact shrub to about 80 cm tall. Flower spikes deep burgundy-purple, the bracts smaller than those of the other New Zealand cultivars, L. 'Avonview' and L. 'Marshwood'.
Bred at Marshwood Gardens, Southland, New Zealand. PVJ 9(4)55.
Lavandula stoechas 'Marshwood'
Tall, upright shrub to over 1m tall with long flower stalks that are characteristically hairy just below the flower head. Flowers mauve-lilac, with some reddish pink and large pale purple bracts.
Bred at Marshwood Gardens, Southland, New Zealand. PVJ 9(4)55.
Dwarf shrub flowering when less than 25 cm tall.
Lavandula stoechas 'Swan River Pink'
PVJ 10(4)62
Lavandula stoechas 'Willowbridge White'
PVJ 10(4)62