TREES AND SHRUBS WITH HERBAL FLOWERS

Thursday, April 7, 2011

The flowers of many trees and shrubs have a variety of culinary, medicinal and cosmetic uses but the most alluring are those used for their fragrance. Roy Genders, in his Scented Flora of the World, lists 300 species of trees, shrubs and climbing plants with scented flowers. The tropical frangipani, gardenia, henna, jasmine, osmanthus and ylang-ylang have rich exotic perfumes highly valued locally to scent body and hair, and internationally in the making of perfumes. Sweet myrtle, whose fresh flowers give us the perfumed water called, ‘eau danger, grows in southern Europe along with the citrus tree family which gives us the orange blossom and its exquisite essential oil, enroll, and the lemon and bergamot tress. But perfumed shrub flowers are not restricted to hot climates. The lilac, mock orange (Philadelphia), Vibrant fragrant, Daphne, apple blossom and honeysuckle give us a rainbow of sweet fragrances. Other flowers with a variety of useful applications include the elder flower, the blossom of the lime tree, broom flowers and hops. The common elder flower has a muscatel scent used in desserts and wine making. It is also an important part of herbal treatment for colds while the flower infusion is an excellent tonic for oily skins and an attractive aftershave for men.