Plants and their oils · SmellBook Learn (free) · smellbook.com/learn/science/plants-and-their-oils
SMELL AND SCIENCE · LESSON 4 OF 6
Where does the smell of a herb or flower come from?
Herbs, spices and flowers store or release volatile compounds, often studied as essential oils. Lavender, rosemary and clove each have a few dominant compounds.
The amount of a compound is not the same as its effect on the smell, and the same plant can differ by variety, place and harvest. Studies of composition are a starting point, not the whole answer.
Linalool and linalyl acetate in lavender oil (VERIFIED): A review reports linalool and linalyl acetate as the most abundant compounds of lavender essential oil, whose composition depends on genotype, environment and flower development. Scope: Lavender essential oils in general; abundance, not odour contribution, and composition varies with species, genotype, harvest stage and environment.
Rosemary oil composition and chemotypes (VERIFIED): Rosemary essential oils from six countries were dominated by α-pinene and 1,8-cineole, with verbenone, borneol, camphor and limonene also present, and at least five chemotypes were distinguished. Scope: Essential oil composition, not odour potency; proportions vary with origin and chemotype.
Eugenol in clove essential oil (VERIFIED): A review reports eugenol as the major compound of clove essential oil, at least half of it, with eugenyl acetate, β-caryophyllene and α-humulene making up a further 10–40%. Scope: Clove essential oil and extracts; composition, not odour potency, and amounts vary with the extraction method.
Green leaf volatiles after plant damage (VERIFIED): Green leaf volatiles, six-carbon compounds found throughout vascular plants, are produced almost immediately when stresses such as insect feeding damage plant tissue, while their levels in intact tissue are low. Scope: Supports the rapid release of green leaf volatiles from damaged tissue; the review itself does not describe their odour, and profiles vary across species and conditions.
- Crush a leaf of a herb such as mint or rosemary between your fingers. Notice how the smell grows once the leaf is broken.
aromatic · floral · herbal · dry
Open profile ↗SB-0129 · Source / HerbRosemaryherbal · resinous · green · dry
Open profile ↗SB-0156 · Source / SpiceClovespicy · warm · sweet · woody
Open profile ↗SB-0015 · State / ExperienceCut Grassgreen · fresh · leafy · moist
Open profile ↗Materials and the world around us
Smell and Science is free, like all of SmellBook Learn. It covers where smells come from: the volatile compounds behind them and how researchers find the ones that matter. Every finding is a VERIFIED claim shown with its scope. It is not medical or safety advice. Lessons on smell receptors, perception and adaptation will be added when registered sources support them.