Re: Rose geranium - Pelargonium sp.

[Guest guest]

Anya, Île Bourbon (Réunion) is part of the Mascarene Islands (or Mascarenhas

Archipelago) which includes Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues, Cargados Carajos

shoals, plus the former islands of the Saya de Malha, Nazareth and Soudan banks.

The name is derived from the Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas, who first

visited them in the early sixteenth century.

Regarding Bourbon geranium; Pelargonium cv. rosé which yields Bourbon type oil,

is the cultivar that originates from Île Bourbon (Réunion) . Pelargonium cv.

rosé, is a hybrid species that was developed from crossing P. capitatum with P.

radens, possibly in Grasse during the 19th century. The earliest plantings were

made at Reunion Island in 1880 using plants from Grasse and the ISO standard,

i.e. Bourbon oil with the citronellol/geraniol ratio of close to 1:1, for the

oil quality was developed. The essential oil was produced, and named `Bourbon',

after the previous name of the island. Reunion was formerly the main producer of

this type of oil. Some others cultivated, are P. capitatum, P. graveolens, and

P. graveolens hybrids such as the rose scented Chinese and Algerian varieties.

India has developed rose scented cultivars of which K 99 and Kelkar (Egyptian)

are best known. Other rose scented cultivars have been developed in Russia.

In Morocco, the Algerian or Tunisian type is the most planted cultivar. Some

other cultivar hybrids were made as well in which P. graveolens was used.

Egyptian, Chinese, Moroccan and Indian stock has much of this type. The

essential oil chemo-types produced by these countries are, however, not close to

the preferred Bourbon type.

Temperature, altitude also have a major influence on the chemical composition of

the oil. Before you buy bulk, sample first, the scent varies a lot from season

to season, even from farm to farm in the same country. The freshly distilled oil

from the Pelargonium cv. Group Rossat is a pale green. When the oil ages the

green colour fades, and it also lose the unpleasant top-note partly due to the

presence of dimethyl-sulphide.

BTW. The co-disilled Rose and Geranium oil is still available.

Sophia,

http://africanaromatics.com/wordpress/

[Guest guest]

>

>

> Anya, Île Bourbon (Réunion) is part of the Mascarene Islands (or Mascarenhas

Archipelago) which includes Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues, Cargados Carajos

shoals, plus the former islands of the Saya de Malha, Nazareth and Soudan banks.

The name is derived from the Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas, who first

visited them in the early sixteenth century.

>

> Regarding Bourbon geranium; Pelargonium cv. rosé which yields Bourbon type

oil, is the cultivar that originates from Île Bourbon (Réunion) . Pelargonium

cv. rosé, is a hybrid species that was developed from crossing P. capitatum with

P. radens, possibly in Grasse during the 19th century. The earliest plantings

were made at Reunion Island in 1880 using plants from Grasse and the ISO

standard, i.e. Bourbon oil with the citronellol/geraniol ratio of close to 1:1,

for the oil quality was developed. The essential oil was produced, and named

`Bourbon', after the previous name of the island. Reunion was formerly the main

producer of this type of oil. Some others cultivated, are P. capitatum, P.

graveolens, and P. graveolens hybrids such as the rose scented Chinese and

Algerian varieties. India has developed rose scented cultivars of which K 99 and

Kelkar (Egyptian) are best known. Other rose scented cultivars have been

developed in Russia.

>

> In Morocco, the Algerian or Tunisian type is the most planted cultivar. Some

other cultivar hybrids were made as well in which P. graveolens was used.

Egyptian, Chinese, Moroccan and Indian stock has much of this type. The

essential oil chemo-types produced by these countries are, however, not close to

the preferred Bourbon type.

>

> Temperature, altitude also have a major influence on the chemical composition

of the oil. Before you buy bulk, sample first, the scent varies a lot from

season to season, even from farm to farm in the same country. The freshly

distilled oil from the Pelargonium cv. Group Rossat is a pale green. When the

oil ages the green colour fades, and it also lose the unpleasant top-note partly

due to the presence of dimethyl-sulphide.

>

> BTW. The co-disilled Rose and Geranium oil is still available.

>

> Sophia,

> http://africanaromatics.com/wordpress/

>

==============

I second Sophia on the above and I add that Geranium Bourbon is still grown and

distilled in Reunion Island particularly in the higher grounds although in

smaller quantities hence the difficulty to find it and its higher price. However

its smell is far superior to the Egyptian geranium for example. It is closer to

rose than cheaper types of geranium

Isabelle

www.lesparfumsisabelle.co.uk