Princess Tree (Paulownia)

NaturalFLOWERSfloral · powdery · aromatic

Seven perfumesOne of them is looking at you

HeartPyramid

—Strength

—Tenacity

1Origins

Specimen

Princess Tree (Paulownia) perfume ingredient — Heart

Paulownia tomentosa

Definition

Princess tree (Paulownia tomentosa) is a deciduous hardwood tree of the family Paulowniaceae, native to central and eastern China and the Korean Peninsula. Its tubular purple flowers resemble a foxglove and are vanilla scented.

FLORAL SWEET POWDERY WARM FRESH CREAMY

Empress tree, foxglove-tree, royal paulownia, royal empress tree, kiri

Type: Ingredient
Olfactive family: Florals
Subfamily: Powdery florals
Cluster: Powdery florals
Source: flowers
Chemical class: complex natural (essential oil)

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

Producing countries

China

Scent

The flowers are vanilla scented. They are also described as very fragrant.

In PREMIEREPEAU

DISCOVERY SET7 × 2 ml →EXTRAIT DE PARFUMThe seven extraits →

The Full Story

The tree

The species belongs to the order Lamiales and grows 10-25 metres tall. It is an extremely fast-growing tree with seeds that disperse readily. Its leaves are large and heart-shaped to five-lobed, arranged in opposite pairs on the stem. The generic name Paulownia honours Anna Pavlovna of Russia, who was Queen Consort of the Netherlands from 1840 to 1849. The specific epithet tomentosa is a Latin word meaning 'covered in hairs'.

The flowers

The very fragrant flowers are produced in early spring, before the leaves, on panicles 10-30 centimetres long. They are pale violet to purple-shaded and tubular, similar to a foxglove. The flowers are carried in large, brown-woolly buds through the winter and open in spring just before the leaves. Pollarded trees do not produce flowers, as these form only on mature wood.

Chemistry of the flower oil

The essential oil of the flowers contains, as odour substances, hydroquinone dimethyl ether, 1-octen-3-ol, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, l-linalool, benzyl alcohol, phenethyl alcohol, benzaldehyde and anisaldehyde. In a steam-distilled oil of the flowers, the main compounds were benzyl alcohol (13.28%), 1,2,4-trimethoxybenzene (8.34%) and 2-methoxy-3-(2-propenyl)-phenol (6.14%). Apigenin, ursolic acid, β-sitosterol and caffeic acid are among the odourless components isolated from the steam distillation residue.

Uses of the tree

Its nitrogen-rich leaves provide good fodder and its roots prevent soil erosion. Paulownia wood is very light, fine-grained and warp-resistant. It is used for chests, boxes and clogs (geta). It is important in China, Korea and Japan for making the soundboards of stringed musical instruments such as the guqin, guzheng, pipa, koto and gayageum. In Japan, it is customary to plant seeds of the tree when a couple has a daughter; the tree is later felled and made into a tansu dresser as a wedding gift.

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Did You Know?

Paulownia is one of the fastest-growing trees in the world, increasing in height by up to 6 metres in one year when young. The paulownia flower pattern go-shichi-no-kiri is the symbol of the Office of the Prime Minister of Japan.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

The essential oil of the flowers can be obtained by steam distillation. The flowers of the hybrid Paulownia Shan tong (Fortunei × Tomentosa) yielded 0.013% essential oil (v/w) by steam distillation.

Formula: Complex natural mixture (key constituents: hydroquinone dimethyl ether; 1-octen-3-ol; l-linalool; benzyl alcohol; anisaldehyde)
Botanical: Paulownia tomentosa
Appearance: Pale violet to purple tubular flowers, similar to a foxglove
Synonyms: Empress tree, foxglove-tree, royal paulownia, royal empress tree, kiri

IFRA status

See note

No IFRA Standard for the material itself (51st Amendment)

In Perfumery

The essential oil of the flowers has been examined in the laboratory for its odour substances.

Role in the formula

01diffusion enhancer

02modifier

03lifting agent

04blender

05volume builder

06freshness

Available as

synthetic accord fantasy note