Rezeda

The plant

Reseda (Reseda odorata) is a species of flowering plant in the reseda family, known by many common names, including mignonette. It is an annual herb with branching erect stems to 80 centimeters in maximum height. The fragrant flower has six white to yellowish or greenish petals, the upper ones each divided into three narrow, finger-like lobes. At the center of the flower are up to about 25 stamens tipped with large dangling orange anthers. The plant has long been kept as an ornamental plant for its fragrant flowers.

Origin and cultivation

The plant is probably native to the Mediterranean Basin, but it can sometimes be found growing in the wild as an introduced species in many parts of the world. It was known to Pliny and the Romans. To produce highly odoriferous flowers, mignonette requires a rich, fertile, clean soil with plenty of sun and irrigation. Mignonette is grown as an annual in most areas, though it may be biennial in Zone 10, and it reseeds readily. Bees are fond of mignonette because it produces plenty of nectar.

Scent chemistry

The theaspirones are known as natural constituents of tobacco aroma and, like the ionones, are derived from carotenoid precursors.

History and name

Mignonette was reportedly first introduced to the south of France, where it was welcomed under the name mignonette. Further records of mignonette being cultivated and dispersed in gardens do not appear until 1752, when seed was grown in botanical gardens in Chelsea, England. Mignonette quickly became very popular in London, where it was grown in pots on balconies. Its scent in the streets was believed to protect the residents from the ill effects of bad air coming from the river and trash heaps. Some people with delicate noses thought its odour too powerful for the house.

Napoleon is reputed to have collected seed for Empress Joséphine's garden at the Château de Malmaison. The empress certainly did have mignonette grown in her gardens. In the Victorian language of flowers, mignonette means "your qualities surpass your charms."

The French name mignonette means "little darling". The origin of the name "mignonette" remains a mystery. The Latin name is derived from resedare, meaning "to assuage", because the plant was believed useful in healing bruises and pains. People historically believed that the plant had magical powers and that its fragrance could ward off certain diseases carried through the air.

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