''Reseda'' , also known as the mignonette ,
is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of fragrant
herbaceous plants native to Europe,
southwest Asia and North Africa, from the
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...
and
Iberia
The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...
east to
northwest India
Northwest India is a loosely defined administrative divisions of India, region of India. In modern-day, it consists of north-western states of the India, Republic of India. In historical contexts, it refers to the northwestern Indian subcontin ...
.
Description
''Reseda'' includes herbaceous annual, biennial and perennial species tall. The leaves form a basal rosette at ground level, and then spirally arranged up the stem; they can be entire, toothed or pinnate, and range from long. The flowers are produced in a slender spike, each flower small ( diameter), white, yellow, orange, or green, with four to six petals. The fruit is a small dry capsule containing several seeds.
Cultivation and uses
Propagation is by seed, which is surface-sown directly into the garden or grass verge. The plant does not take well to transplanting and should not be moved after sowing.
Mignonette flowers are extremely fragrant. It is grown for the sweet
ambrosia
In the ancient Greek mythology, Greek myths, ambrosia (, ) is the food or drink of the Greek gods, and is often depicted as conferring longevity or immortality upon whoever consumed it. It was brought to the gods in Mount Olympus, Olympus by do ...
l scent of its flowers. It is used in flower arrangements, perfumes and
potpourri. A
Victorian favourite, it was commonly grown in pots and in window-boxes to scent the city air. It was used as a
sedative and a treatment for bruises in
Roman times. The volatile oil is used in perfumery. Yellow dye was obtained from the roots of ''R. luteola'' by the first millennium BC, and perhaps earlier than either
woad
''Isatis tinctoria'', also called woad (), dyer's woad, dyer's-weed, or glastum, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae (the mustard family) with a documented history of use as a blue dye and medicinal plant.
Its genus name, ''Isati ...
or
madder. Use of this dye came to an end at the beginning of the twentieth century, when cheaper synthetic yellow dyes came into use.
[
]Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...
used ''R. odorata'' in his studies of self-fertilised plants, which he documented in ''The Effects of Cross and Self-Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom''.
Species
''The Plant List
The Plant List was a list of botanical names of species of plants created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Missouri Botanical Garden and launched in 2010. It was intended to be a comprehensive record of all known names of plant specie ...
'' recognises 41 accepted species (including infraspecific names):[
* '']Reseda alba
''Reseda alba'' is a species of flowering plant in the reseda family known by the common names white mignonette or white upright mignonette. It is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and it can be found in parts of the Americas and Austr ...
'' White Mignonette
** subsp. ''myriosperma''
* '' Reseda arabica''
* '' Reseda aucheri''
* ''Reseda barrelieri Reseda may refer to:
In natural science
* ''Reseda'' (plant), a plant genus also known as ''mignonette''
* 1081 Reseda, a minor planet that orbits the Sun; named for the ''Reseda'' plant genus
Places
* Reseda, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in the Sa ...
''
* ''Reseda bucharica Reseda may refer to:
In natural science
* ''Reseda'' (plant), a plant genus also known as ''mignonette''
* 1081 Reseda, a minor planet that orbits the Sun; named for the ''Reseda'' plant genus
Places
* Reseda, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in the Sa ...
''
* ''Reseda complicata Reseda may refer to:
In natural science
* ''Reseda'' (plant), a plant genus also known as ''mignonette''
* 1081 Reseda, a minor planet that orbits the Sun; named for the ''Reseda'' plant genus
Places
* Reseda, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in the Sa ...
'' Glaucous Mignonette
* ''Reseda decursiva Reseda may refer to:
In natural science
* ''Reseda'' (plant), a plant genus also known as ''mignonette''
* 1081 Reseda, a minor planet that orbits the Sun; named for the ''Reseda'' plant genus
Places
* Reseda, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in the Sa ...
''
* ''Reseda ellenbeckii Reseda may refer to:
In natural science
* ''Reseda'' (plant), a plant genus also known as ''mignonette''
* 1081 Reseda, a minor planet that orbits the Sun; named for the ''Reseda'' plant genus
Places
* Reseda, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in the Sa ...
''
* ''Reseda glauca Reseda may refer to:
In natural science
* ''Reseda'' (plant), a plant genus also known as ''mignonette''
* 1081 Reseda, a minor planet that orbits the Sun; named for the ''Reseda'' plant genus
Places
* Reseda, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in the Sa ...
''
* ''Reseda globulosa Reseda may refer to:
In natural science
* ''Reseda'' (plant), a plant genus also known as ''mignonette''
* 1081 Reseda, a minor planet that orbits the Sun; named for the ''Reseda'' plant genus
Places
* Reseda, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in the Sa ...
''
* ''Reseda gredensis Reseda may refer to:
In natural science
* ''Reseda'' (plant), a plant genus also known as ''mignonette''
* 1081 Reseda, a minor planet that orbits the Sun; named for the ''Reseda'' plant genus
Places
* Reseda, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in the Sa ...
''
* ''Reseda inodora Reseda may refer to:
In natural science
* ''Reseda'' (plant), a plant genus also known as ''mignonette''
* 1081 Reseda, a minor planet that orbits the Sun; named for the ''Reseda'' plant genus
Places
* Reseda, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in the Sa ...
''
* ''Reseda jacquinii Reseda may refer to:
In natural science
* ''Reseda'' (plant), a plant genus also known as ''mignonette''
* 1081 Reseda, a minor planet that orbits the Sun; named for the ''Reseda'' plant genus
Places
* Reseda, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in the Sa ...
''
** subsp. ''litigiosa''
* '' Reseda lanceolata''
* ''Reseda lutea
''Reseda lutea'', the yellow mignonette or wild mignonette, is a species of fragrant herbaceous flowering plant. Its leaves and flowers have been used to make a yellow dye called "weld" since the first millennium BC, although the related plant ' ...
'' Wild Mignonette
** subsp. ''neglecta''
* '' Reseda luteola'' Weld
** subsp. ''biaui''
* '' Reseda media''
* '' Reseda minoica''
* '' Reseda muricata''
* '' Reseda odorata'' Common Mignonette
* '' Reseda orientalis''
* '' Reseda paui''
** subsp. ''almijarensis''
* '' Reseda phyteuma'' Corn Mignonette
** subsp. ''collina''
* '' Reseda pruinosa''
* '' Reseda scoparia'' Canaries Mignonette
* '' Reseda stenostachya''
* '' Reseda stricta''
* '' Reseda suffruticosa''
** subsp. ''barrelieri''
* '' Reseda tymphaea''
** subsp. ''anatolica''
* '' Reseda undata''
** subsp. ''gayana''
** subsp. ''leucantha''
* '' Reseda urnigera''
* '' Reseda villosa''
* '' Reseda virgata''
* '' Reseda viridis''
See also
* Reseda green, a color named after the plant's leaves (not a dye)
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reseda (Plant)
Plant dyes