The name lavender originates from the Latin word lavare, meaning to bathe, which explains the main usage of the dry flower and the lavandini, its essential oil. Lavender essential oils are used in perfume and cologne production. In soap production, a cheaper essential oil from hybrid lavender is used. Lavender’s healing properties refer to easing psychological tension in migraine and neuralgia. It also eases cramps and helps in healing wounds.

Common lavender can be grown at 1700m altitude, broadleaf lavender up to 700m, and hybrid from 700-1000 m. Lavender is a perennial plant which grows in the shape of a small shrub.Life expectancy  of wild and cultivated lavender is up to 30 years. Its root is wooden, fairly branched, deep in the soil. The tree is short, thick, wooden and rather branched from its neck to the root.

Common lavender grows as a small shrub that reaches 40-60 cm in height and 80-120 cm in width. Its branches are simple, 20-40 cm in length, alternate in arrangement, narrow, with the whole rim and grayish green in colour.  Flowers are blue, while fruits are in the shape of a nutlet with 4 egg-like seeds.

Hybrid lavender grows as a thick shrub reaching  80-100 cm in height and 150 cm in its diameter. The stem branches into nodes from 60 to 90 cm, with alternating leaves, green in colour and covered in fine hairs, whereas the flower is the same as with the common lavender. Hybrid lavender is sterile and its fruits are not usable.

All lavender varieties are characterized by a strong, specific scent coming from its essential oils. Essential oil is obtained by the process of lavender flower distillation. Common lavender flower contains from 0,5 to 1,5 % of essential oil, while hybrid lavender contains from 0,9 to 5 %. Essential oil is mostly found in glands placed next to the calyx.  Oils mainly consist of linalyl acetate and  linalool. Each variety is characterized by a different composition of essential oil; therefore common lavender contains 35 to 60 % of linalyl acetate, while hybrid lavender only 7-16 %.

Lavender seed is germinable for 3-4 years. Germination process takes fairly long, up to two months. In the beginning, the seeds grows slowly, but they can grow the flowering stem in the first year already. In the second year vegetation phase starts only when there is a rise in the temperature level. Common lavender starts blossoming in June, whereas at hybrid lavender it starts somewhat later. When the weather is cold, blossoming phase is two weeks late, while in warm weather blossoming occurs much earlier. Full blossom lasts for 6-8 days and it is at that period that the flowers contain best quality essential oil. The fruit develops slowly during August, and is liable to falling off.