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Dove Tree

FLOWERS  /  floral · powdery · fresh
Dove Tree
Dove Tree perfume ingredient
CategoryFLOWERS
Subcategoryfloral · powdery · fresh
Origin
VolatilityHeart Note
BotanicalDavidia involucrata
AppearanceN/A — fantasy fragrance accord
Odor StrengthMedium
Producing CountriesChina
PyramidHeart

A ghostly white-floral whisper. The handkerchief tree's blooms smell like nothing much at all: faint green, a trace of pollen, cool and papery.

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

Scent

Almost scentless in nature, translated into a cool, papery white-floral transparency. Faint green and pollen-like. The impression is of whiteness and movement: fabric in wind. Less sweet than magnolia, less anything than most florals. Defined by absence more than presence.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Immediately

Cool green whisper, faint pollen
After a few hours

After a few hours

Papery white transparency
After a few days

After a few days

Nearly imperceptible

The Full Story

The dove tree (Davidia involucrata) is a rare deciduous tree native to central and western China, famous for its large white bracts that flutter like handkerchiefs or doves in the wind. It is a visually dramatic flowering trees in temperate gardens.

In perfumery, dove tree is a fantasy note. The actual flowers have minimal fragrance: a faint, cool, slightly green quality with a papery-textile suggestion from the tissue-like bracts. The perfumery accord interprets this visual poetry into scent: something white, transparent, and almost weightless.

The note functions as a modifier in white-floral, minimalist, and botanical-concept compositions. It provides a sense of lightness and visual whiteness translated into olfactory terms. The accord is built from transparent floral materials, cool-green molecules, and the faintest white musk base.

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

Related: Acerola Blossom · Albizia · Anisaldehyde · Apple Blossom · Babys Breath · Campion Flower · Cannonball Flower · Cotton Flower

Did You Know?

Did you know?
The dove tree was discovered by Western science in 1869 by French missionary and naturalist Armand David, but it took another 30 years before seeds were successfully brought to Europe. Ernest Wilson's 1899 expedition to China to collect dove tree seeds is considered one of the great plant-hunting adventures.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: No commercial extraction. Fantasy accord. The flowers produce negligible volatile compounds.

Molecular FormulaN/A — no isolable essential oil
CAS NumberN/A — no standard commercial essential oil
Botanical NameDavidia involucrata
IFRA StatusNo known restrictions
SynonymsHANDKERCHIEF TREE · GHOST TREE
Physical Properties
Odor StrengthMedium
AppearanceN/A — fantasy fragrance accord

In Perfumery

Dove tree is a fantasy modifier in minimalist, white-floral, and botanical-concept compositions. It provides olfactory whiteness and transparency. The note is primarily atmospheric, evoking visual beauty rather than contributing strong scent. Built from the lightest floral materials, cool-green molecules, and barely perceptible white musk.

From the raw to the worn

This is what it becomes.