Vetiver belongs to the same botanical family as lemongrass, citronella and palmarosa, and has been appreciated for its wide diversity of useful applications since records began. In some countries such as India its role as a perfume may even precede that of the ubiquitous rose.

Vetiveria zizanoides is a dense, erect, clumping perennial grass that grows throughout tropical regions. When growing in the wild, the straight-stemmed, robust leaves easily reach a height of 2 or 3 metres (6ft 6ins – 9ft 9ins) and the plant readily adapts to a wide range of soil and climatic conditions.
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Petitgrain essential oil is derived from the fresh leaves and green twigs of the bitter orange tree, Citrus aurantium and its various sub-species. Bitter orange belongs to the Rutaceae family and is believed to have originated in South-East Asia where it later spread to North-Eastern India, Burma and China, eventually finding its way via Arab traders to Africa, Arabia and Syria.

From these regions it was taken to the Mediterranean by the Moors, and by the end of the 12th century it was cultivated in Seville, Spain, thereby leading to the common name for bitter oranges.
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Rosemary is an attractive, evergreen, shrubby herb that belongs to the Lamiaceae family and grows wild throughout Mediterranean countries where it is believed to have originated.

The upright form of this herb can reach a height of 1.8 metres, although there are other forms such as R. officinalis var. prostratus, which is a creeping variety that is often grown in rock gardens or for ground cover.

The narrow fragrant leaves of rosemary are dark green on the upper surface, with undersides that are paler and matted with thick hair. During spring, the small and delicate, tubular, blue-white flowers begin to blossom on the tips of the leaves, and can remain in bloom throughout the summer.
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The deliciously creamy, warming and balsamic fragrance of benzoin resin is familiar to most people, and it has been used as an aromatic in almost every culture since records began. Its use throughout history is legendary, and the aromatic resin from the tree still remains in high regard within the world of perfumery and medicine right up to this day.
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Two closely related species of citronella grass have been cultivated over the years to produce citronella essential oil; Cymbopogon nardus which is known in the oil industry as ‘Ceylon type’, and Cymbopogon winterianus known as ‘Java type’.

In the early 1900’s C. nardus was cultivated almost exclusively in Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon), and C. winterianus was produced on the Indonesian island of Java. At that time, C. nardus oil was the most sought after variety but gradually C. winterianus increased in popularity due to its higher yield and slightly fresher aroma.
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Sweet orange oil is the most commercially important of the citrus oils and is produced in very large quantities. The majority of oil production is destined for the flavour industry where it is used in juices, soft drinks, candies and pharmaceutical products.

In the early 1900’s the perfumery industry used vast quantities of this oil in fragrance formulations for soaps, detergents, toiletries and perfumes, but over the years sweet orange met the same fate as most of the other citrus oils and was replaced by synthetics.
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Cloves are the small reddish-brown, unripe flower buds from the tropical evergreen tree known as Syzygium aromaticum. The dried buds have been used since ancient times in many cultures for culinary, medicinal and even decorative purposes.

A necklace of cloves was discovered in a tomb alongside a mummy in Egypt, and during the Han-Dynasty (220-206 BC) in China, court officials were required to hold whole cloves in their mouths to sweeten their breath whilst addressing the Emperor.

Later in Europe, doctors breathed through clove-filled leather beaks believing it would ward off the plague, and German herbalists also used clove in a treatment for gout.
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It has taken many years to correctly identify niaouli (Melaleuca quinquenervia var. cineole) because there are several very similar plants that were originally mistaken for this one. Over the years a wide range of common names and synonyms were associated with all of these species which added to the confusion, taxonomically speaking.

For example, over the past 100 years this species has at various times been identified as; Metrosideros quinquenervia, Melaleuca viridiflora, Melaleuca leucadendron var. viridiflora, Melaleuca smithii, Melaleuca maidenii, Broad-leaved paperbark tree, White bottlebrush tree, Punk tree and the Five veined paperbark tree. Streuth!
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I recently spoke to a new customer who had previously purchased her anonymous ‘cedarwood’ oil from a supplier that did not provide either the full common name or a botanical reference on the label. It was just called ‘cedarwood oil’.

When she purchased Quinessence Cedar Atlas oil she had presumed that it would be the same as the oil she was familiar with, and was understandably surprised at the different fragrance. ‘Why doesn’t it smell like pencils?’, she asked me.

Good question. ‘If only I had included this oil profile in a recent post’, I thought to myself, ‘It would have made this explanation so much easier!’ Oh well, at least our customer helped me to decide which essential oil I should cover next.
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Sweet marjoram is a frost-tender perennial plant which can grow to a height of 60 centimetres (24 inches), producing oval leaves and pale or dark pink-purple flowers. These flowers are small but plentiful and form in spiky clusters, blooming between June and September. It is a warm climate plant, preferring lots of sun and well-drained soil.

The whole plant is highly aromatic, exuding a pleasing peppery, warm and fresh fragrance of which Culpepper said ‘It helpeth all diseases of the chest which hinder the freeness of breathing’. The fresh and dried aromatic leaves have been used for centuries throughout the world as a condiment in cooking due to their spicy, pungent flavour.
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