Re: Re: OT-CHAT: Iris fragrance

From: hipsource@aol.com

In a message dated 2/29/00 3:12:10 PM Eastern Standard Time, hagg@alaska.net 
writes:

<<  Fragrant iris seem to be rarer than I thought, and apparently have 
nothing to do
 with perfumery.>>

Kathy, I think this may be an understatement. There are a lot of fragrant 
bearded irises out there. The 1939 Check List even made attempts to sort the 
fragrances out with a very sophisticated list of named subcategories ranging 
from Honey Locust to Grape Hyacinth (as opposed to mere Grape), to Valerian, 
to New-Mown Hay, to May-apple to DOGWOOD BLOSSOM for heaven's sake...I mean, 
talk about beating it to death. There are even supposed to be some fragrant 
beardless ones, but I don't remember any specifics....maybe a 
versicolor....And there are some irises that just plain stink, as in Eau de 
Chat.
   
 << Anner, you were correct about "L' Heure Bleu" 's iris content. It indeed 
has some. The Hermes Hiris website address I gave in a prior email has a 
search page wherein  you may search perfumes by their content. When I entered 
"iris" it gave me a list  of fragrances that are known to use iris (orris 
root). Along with L ' Heure Bleu
 was ANOTHER fragrance, "Ysatis",  that I am partial to. I can only conclude 
I seem
 to like fragrances with an orris root component.>>

How nice! Isn't it interesting? It is an ancient, ancient, human 
preoccupation, perfume. 

<<A new link on the AIS page offers the orris root Iris ->>

One of several orris root irises, actually, along with I. albicans, and I. 
pallida, with the latter being the dominant one in the orris industry, but I. 
germanica var. florentina being the most famous. One theory is that because 
I. germanica var. florentina, the white form of the familar two toned purple 
I. germanica, is an ancient hybrid, it can only be increased vegetatively, 
that is, by rhzomes. I.pallida on the other hand is fertile so new plants can 
be grown from seeds, too. I think it also has to do with the fact that I. 
pallida can produce some really good sized rhizomes, and a lot of them. I 
don't know whether the roots of all bearded irises will develop fragrance 
when dried and stored or not. 

Anner Whitehead
HIPSource@aol.com


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