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Butomus Umbellatus

FLOWERS  /  floral · aquatic · fresh
Butomus Umbellatus
Butomus Umbellatus perfume ingredient
CategoryFLOWERS
Subcategoryfloral · aquatic · fresh
Origin
VolatilityHeart Note
BotanicalButomus umbellatus
AppearanceN/A — not available as a commercial extract
Odor StrengthFaint
Producing CountriesEurope, Asia (native wetland plant)
PyramidHeart

Faint, green-aquatic, with a rush-like sweetness. Flowering rush smells of still water and wet green stems — barely scented, deeply atmospheric.

  1. Scent
  2. The Full Story
  3. Fun Fact
  4. Extraction & Chemistry
  5. In Perfumery

Scent

Faint, green-aquatic, with a gentle floral sweetness. Still-water atmosphere — reedy, calm, mineral. Less defined than lotus, less green than watercress. A riverside note: you smell water, stems, and faint flowers all at once, with none dominating.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Immediately

Faint green-aquatic, reedy sweetness, mineral
After a few hours

After a few hours

Soft waterside atmosphere, barely perceptible floral
After a few days

After a few days

Near-invisible — clean, faint green-water trace

The Full Story

Butomus umbellatus (flowering rush) is an aquatic perennial native to Eurasia, found along river banks and lake margins. The pink, umbel-shaped flowers produce a faint, sweet, slightly green fragrance — subtle enough that you must lean close to the water's edge to catch it.

No perfumery extraction exists. The concept note captures the wetland atmosphere around the plant: still water, green stems, a whisper of floral sweetness, the mineral quality of shallow riverbank mud.

The fantasy accord would combine aquatic elements (calone derivatives), green-stem notes (cis-3-hexenol), a faint, non-specific floral sweetness (hydroxycitronellal, phenylethyl alcohol), and an earthy-mineral base. The result is atmosphere — a specific kind of waterside presence.

Butomus umbellatus is the sole member of its family (Butomaceae). It is considered invasive in North America, particularly in the Great Lakes region, where it displaces native aquatic vegetation.

This note in Première Peau. Nuit Elastique · Rose Monotone. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

Related: Abelia · Almond Blossom · Alpha Terpineol · Alstroemeria · Alumroot · Amarillys · Amazon Moonflower · Amethyst Flower

Did You Know?

Did you know?
Butomus umbellatus is the only living species in the entire family Butomaceae — it is a botanical orphan with no close relatives. Its rhizomes were historically eaten as emergency food in Russia and Siberia, roasted or ground into flour during famine years.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: No commercial extraction exists. Entirely a fantasy concept note.

Molecular FormulaN/A — no standard commercial extract
CAS NumberN/A — not commercially extracted for perfumery
Botanical NameButomus umbellatus
IFRA StatusNo known restrictions
SynonymsFLOWERING RUSH
Physical Properties
Odor StrengthFaint
AppearanceN/A — not available as a commercial extract

In Perfumery

Fantasy aquatic note providing gentle riverside atmosphere. No extraction exists. Built from aquatic synthetics, green-stem compounds, and faint floral elements. Functions in water-themed, pastoral, and naturalistic compositions. Provides specific riverbank character rather than generic aquatic freshness.

From the raw to the worn

This is what it becomes.