The plant family of the Lamiaceae, formerly called the Labiatea, contains many aromatic plants. Some important genera of the plants are Lavandula, Mentha, Salvia and Thymus.
The genus Lavandula covers about 30 species, from which L. angustifolia (lavender), L, hybrida (lavandin) and L. latifolia (spike lavender) are used for the production of essential oils.
The most important lavandula oils are lavender oil, lavandin oil and spike lavender oil, which are of economic value to the fragrance industry because they are used in high grade perfumery, cosmetics and functional perfume compounds.
Each of these oils contains hundreds of chemical compounds, which are responsible for the sensory properties of the oils.
