Re: Botanists can you tell me?

[Guest guest]

Ruth Ruane <ruth@...> wrote: <What is the name of this plant.

It grows commonly as a hedge in

Ireland. Reaching over 6ft high. Bees swarm around the flowers in the

summmer time but what I find most extra ordinary is it's fragrance.

When picked the tips of the branches and the leaves, especially the

new growth, are sticky and resinous. When fresh the smell is a cross

between laudanum and sugar. When the plant dries the resin is clearly

visible as small crystals and the smell is like strawberry candy.

I have searched the internet and several gardening books to find out

the name, but it's hard when I only have a description.

So I'm calling all botanists and avid gardeners to the table on this

one. Please tell.

I posted two photos, one shows the lovely shiny upper leaf and the

other shows the lovely bell shaped flowers and the pale sticky

underside of the leaf.

http://tinyurl.com/38azt5

http://tinyurl.com/38uksg

Ruth

http://www.whitewitch.ie>

Ruth, I dont know what that is, but it sure is pretty. You've got to tincture

the stuff;labdanum, sugar, strawberry-bring it on!

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[Guest guest]

> So I'm calling all botanists and avid gardeners to the table on this

> one. Please tell.

> I posted two photos, one shows the lovely shiny upper leaf and the

> other shows the lovely bell shaped flowers and the pale sticky

> underside of the leaf.

>

> http://tinyurl.com/38azt5

> http://tinyurl.com/38uksg

>

> Ruth

> http://www.whitewitch.ie>

> Ruth, I dont know what that is, but it sure is pretty. You've got

to tincture the stuff;labdanum, sugar, strawberry-bring it on!

>

I know I'm going to, there are a few houses on our block that have the

stuff growing as a hedge. I may wait until the next time they are

trimming and ask if I can have a bag of clippings. As a child I always

noticed the smell of the stuff. On a hot summers day I could smll the

hedges long before I could see them, and then too the leave and

flowers get really sticky. I wonder if it is indigenous to Ireland.

Ruth

http://www.whitewitch.ie

[Guest guest]

On 24/10/2007, Ruth Ruane <ruth@...> wrote:

> What is the name of this plant. It grows commonly as a hedge in

> Ireland. Reaching over 6ft high. Bees swarm around the flowers in the

> summmer time but what I find most extra ordinary is it's fragrance.

<snip>

Away with you woman!! You've driven me mad. I've looked in all my

books (including The Concise British Flora in Colour) and scoured the

web and Google images but cant find it. The only one close is Abelia -

but its too pale and the leaf is wrong...

http://www.iflorist.co.uk/p-1271-abelia.aspx

Go knock on the door and ASK!!! (and report back or I'll send ma flu

bugs over to ya)

Anyone thats not checked out Ruth's " today's conundrum " please have a

look and see if you can recognise her flower - Please!

> http://tinyurl.com/38azt5

> http://tinyurl.com/38uksg

LLx

[Guest guest]

> but its too pale and the leaf is wrong...

> http://www.iflorist.co.uk/p-1271-abelia.aspx

>

> Go knock on the door and ASK!!! (and report back or I'll send ma flu

> bugs over to ya)

> Anyone thats not checked out Ruth's " today's conundrum " please have a

> look and see if you can recognise her flower - Please!

>

> > http://tinyurl.com/38azt5

> > http://tinyurl.com/38uksg

>

> LLx

>

Thanks!

That is close Liz but you're right the leaves are wrong, I checked out

a couple of different species of the alba but it's not it. It's been

driving me crazy for ages. I would say that if I asked they wouldn't

know as the same hedge has been there since I was a young girl. I'll

go to a garden center and find out.

Ruth

[Guest guest]

> Go knock on the door and ASK!!! (and report back or I'll send ma flu

> bugs over to ya)

> Anyone thats not checked out Ruth's " today's conundrum " please have a

> look and see if you can recognise her flower - Please!

>

> > http://tinyurl.com/38azt5

> > http://tinyurl.com/38uksg

>

> LLx

>

I found it

http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Escallonia+rubra+macrantha

and some more stuff on it.

http://www.gardenplansireland.com/forum/about171.html

Ruth

[Guest guest]

Could be some kind of daphne maybe?

[Guest guest]

> What is the name of this plant. It grows commonly as a hedge in

> Ireland. Reaching over 6ft high. Bees swarm around the flowers in

the

> summmer time but what I find most extra ordinary is it's fragrance.

> When picked the tips of the branches and the leaves, especially the

> new growth, are sticky and resinous. When fresh the smell is a cross

> between laudanum and sugar. When the plant dries the resin is

clearly

> visible as small crystals and the smell is like strawberry candy.

> So I'm calling all botanists and avid gardeners to the table on this

> one. Please tell.

> I posted two photos, one shows the lovely shiny upper leaf and the

> other shows the lovely bell shaped flowers and the pale sticky

> underside of the leaf.

>

> http://tinyurl.com/38azt5

> http://tinyurl.com/38uksg

Hi, Ruth,

It is an Escallonia. Depending on the species or cultivar, it may be

pink, red, white, or peach. It is native to South America,

particularly Chile. Escallonia is commonly grown as an ornamental

shrub or hedge here in the Pacific Northwest (of U.S.), also. There

was some discussion of this plant on the list back in June.

I thought you'd be interested to know that, according to the website

for Oregon State University, several cultivars, have been developed

by the Slieve Donard Nursery in North Ireland, including:

" 'Apple Blossom' - pale pink flowers, best known of the E. ´

langleyensis hybrids, it can be a sprawling shrub unless pinched or

cut back, blooms sporadically during the summer, but greatest in late

spring

'Donard Gem' - fragrant pink flowers, compact shrub to 3 ft (0.9 m)

or so

'Donard White' - white flowers, pink in bud, long flowering period,

about 3 ft (0.9 m)

'Donard Scarlet' - scarlet flowers, upright, narrow, about 3-6 ft

(0.9-1.8 m) high

'Pride of Donard' - large scarlet-pink flowers, glossy, deep green

leaves, to 5 ft (1.5 m), wider than tall, long blooming period "

-Autumn

[Guest guest]

>

> What is the name of this plant. It grows commonly as a hedge in

> Ireland. Reaching over 6ft high. Bees swarm around the flowers in

the

> summmer time but what I find most extra ordinary is it's fragrance.

> When picked the tips of the branches and the leaves, especially the

> new growth, are sticky and resinous. When fresh the smell is a cross

> between laudanum and sugar. When the plant dries the resin is

clearly

> visible as small crystals and the smell is like strawberry candy.

> I have searched the internet and several gardening books to find out

> the name, but it's hard when I only have a description.

>

> So I'm calling all botanists and avid gardeners to the table on this

> one. Please tell.

> I posted two photos, one shows the lovely shiny upper leaf and the

> other shows the lovely bell shaped flowers and the pale sticky

> underside of the leaf.

>

> http://tinyurl.com/38azt5

> http://tinyurl.com/38uksg

>

>

> Ruth

> http://www.whitewitch.ie

>

I'm no botanist, but how about Escallonia rubra or a varient?

iel

[Guest guest]

> I'm no botanist, but how about Escallonia rubra or a varient?

> iel

>

Thanks iel, Autumn, Adam and and Liz for all your help here,

I did find out some interesting stuff about the plant but I could find

no record of details about it ever having been used in perfumery.

Strange that something so fragrant could have been overlooked. I also

looked carefully in case there were toxic issues but there were none

to be found. I am going to try distilling the plant and I am going to

tincture it and macerate it also. It's amazing how the smell gets

stronger when the plant is fully dried. Is there any other botanical

that is like this, if there is it might give me some clue as to how it

would best give up its scent. I will keep you all filled in as I go.

Ruth

[Guest guest]

Ruth Ruane wrote:

> It's amazing how the smell gets

> stronger when the plant is fully dried. Is there any other botanical

> that is like this, if there is it might give me some clue as to how it

> would best give up its scent. I will keep you all filled in as I go.

>

> Ruth

Hi Ruth

One that pops to mind is sweet woodruff, Galium odoratum (known by other

names, also). It has a faint coumarinic/hay/vanilla scent in the ground,

but it really develops much more upon drying. Wonder, other than the

*perceived* toxicity issues with coumarin, why there isn't any EO or

absolute of it. Lovely stuff.

--

Sincerely, Anya

Anya's Garden of Natural Perfume http://AnyasGarden.com - rare and exotic

aromatics and artisan perfumes,

perfumery classes and consultation

Natural Perfumers Guild http://NaturalPerfumersGuild.com

[Guest guest]

> Hi Ruth

> One that pops to mind is sweet woodruff, Galium odoratum (known by

other

> names, also). It has a faint coumarinic/hay/vanilla scent in the

ground,

> but it really develops much more upon drying. Wonder, other than the

> *perceived* toxicity issues with coumarin, why there isn't any EO or

> absolute of it. Lovely stuff.

>

> --

> Sincerely, Anya

Thanks Anya, I wonder if the similarities between both plants and the

fact that neither have an essential oil or absolute made from them

might be a clue that the scent cannot be captured very easily? Sort of

like sweet violet? The smell was getting stronger and stronger on the

really dried sprig I have, it was *really* sweet, as an experiment I

crushed it up between my palms to see if the powder of the dried plant

would smell as good or better. And now the smell is gone. There is

only a trace left. So that means I have to handle the plant very

gently to preserve the scent.

Ruth

http://www.whitewitch.ie