Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, carries its character in a volatile oil, and two terpenes dominate it: linalool and linalyl acetate. Between them they usually account for most of the oil, with camphor, borneol, terpinen-4-ol and beta-caryophyllene filling out the rest. The ratio is what separates true English lavender from lavandin and from spike lavender, and it shifts with altitude, soil and how soon after flowering the crop was cut. Because these compounds are volatile, whole dried flower holds its profile far longer than ground material.
