RE: Neroli tree mystery and why not other citrus?

January 27, 2010

Marcia Elston wrote:

> Maybe this will help some understand the process of plant naming. Every five

> years the International Botanical Congress meets, where it hooks up with the

> International Association for Plant Taxonomy and together officially change

> and update the official Latin plant nomenclature (International Code of

> Botanical Nomenclature). Only the International Botanical Congress can

> change the name of a plant according to the rules set out in the ICBN.

Hi Marcia:

My questions wasn't about changing the name - it was about two names

being used for what we thought was one product of a certain tree - the

neroli we use.

The ICBN will show both C. aurantium var. amara and C. aurantium

" Bouquet de Fleurs " . Well, I'm guessing it will show them. I don't have

access.

> Anya's Citrus is one of those changing often, easily hybridized.

I don't think so. The name didn't change, the manner in which the end

product is being sold as a product of the amara variety, it's not a

hybrid. The BdF isn't a hybrid, either, AFAIK. Time and place may be why

they're changing, due to the locale of the folks distilling the neroli,

and where they live.

> So, Citrus

> (genus) aurantium (species) is a given for neroli. Since neroli is produced

> in Tunisia, Italy, Spain and nearby environs, we can assume that C.

> aurantium var. amara is correct because we don't see var. Bouquet des Fleurs

> in any of the names from those countries. If neroli becomes produced in the

> U.S., we very well could see this variety and many others added to the the

> nomenclature. Not sure that var. Bouquet des Fleurs is specific to the

> U.S., but it could be.

I believe, but I'm not certain, that BdF is the accepted name in Europe,

where the neroli first appeared on the market as a product, citing the

Princess of Neroli story. Several sources claim that Bouquet de Grandes

Fleurs is the most prized for perfumery. I'll get back to amara below.

If you visit some of the links I provided, the BdF is definitely linked

with Europe.

When I searched several of my links on cultivars, amara didn't pop up.

So perhaps it is the accepted synonym in Tunisia?

I've skipped ahead and read Martin's reply, and it rings true. It

reminded me of Butch's posts about the Origanum varieties he's run

across and all the confusion in the industry when plants are hard to

classify. We like things in neat packages (otherwise taxonomists

wouldn't exist, lol) but sometimes the whims and will of people just

obliterate the clean crisp lines.

So all this got me off on a tangent, related to this discussion: many

have written that the flower of the sour orange (pick your variety!) is

the only one, the best one for neroli production. So, if all these years

we may have been puchasing neroli that came from a grove where sweet

oranges were mixed in, that changes the rigid rule of what a neroli is,

right?

Old texts reference grapefruit and lemon neroli, but I think, and am not

sure, that perhaps the French and Italians may have pushed the notion

that only the sour orange neroli is the one for perfumery. Sort of like

how the French don't recognize Jasmine sambac as worthy, only their

French grandi is used. Well, now some French suppliers are starting to

sell sambac. The customer is king.

In artisanal perfumery, we should be able to create our own definitions.

If we wish for lemon or grapefruit or lime neroli, and we can produce

it, well, then we've broadened the definition of neroli.

Still, I am on the hunt for the Bouquet de Fleurs, just for nostalgia.

I'll also get an amara if I can find it. A student and colleague who is

working towards establishing some distillation sites here in Florida is

connected with the citrus research centers here, and she's going to ask

around for the trees for me. So far, I only can find BdF in California,

and they don't ship to Florida.

In the end, even with variations in chemistry due to the different

distillations of neroli, they're all used the same way, right? As long

as we like the scent profile of a certain batch, we'll use it for the

aromatherapy or perfumery purpose at hand.

All my best,

http://NaturalPerfumers.com

on FB http://bit.ly/iamja

Guild on FB http://bit.ly/1jP5lB

January 27, 2010

Didn't mean to intimate changing the name . . . not at all. Only presented

the process for how the Latin names come to be for information here. By

" Anya's Citrus " I meant C. aurantium is hybridized all the time . . . hence

all the varities. I should have been more clear, but wasn't referring to the

BdF variety itself. Commonly, Citrus aurantium is called by many names,

including bigarde, bitter orange, marmalade orange, Seville orange, sour

orange, among others. I think you (and Martin) are spot on that the bitter

orange exclusivity may be a myth and that perhaps even sweet orange blossoms

could be included in some distillations. This discussion certainly

challenges absolute accuracy with regard to Latin names.

I found this nursery with the variety you are looking for

http://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/variety_list.html#sourorange

Don't know where they are and where they ship . . . but loved the idea of

making a hedge.

Be Well,

Marcia Elston, Samara Botane/Nature Intelligence

http://www.wingedseed.com <http://www.wingedseed.com/>

http://www.wingedseed.blogspot.com <http://www.wingedseed.blogspot.com/>

http://www.aromaconnection.org <http://www.aromaconnection.org/>

" We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. " - Winston

Churchill

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