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 grows about 2 to 3 feet tall, attracts pollinators and is cultivated as an ornamental. It has escaped cultivation and become an environmental weed in South Australia, where it spreads into natural vegetation. Photographed in Bogotá, Colombia.