Lavandula stoechas (Spanish Lavender)

Native to the Mediterranean region, this bushy evergreen shrub has aromatic foliage and fragrant flowerheads. Its dense, dark purple flower spikes are topped by conspicuous sterile bracts, which are modified leaves rather than petals. It is cultivated as an ornamental. The species has escaped cultivation in Australia; South Australian environmental authorities identify it as a weed capable of spreading into natural vegetation. Photographed in Bogotá, Colombia.