{"id":2739,"date":"2020-03-13T00:04:27","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T07:04:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/pal-question-532\/"},"modified":"2024-04-17T11:30:51","modified_gmt":"2024-04-17T18:30:51","slug":"are-fig-trees-aromatic","status":"publish","type":"pal","link":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/are-fig-trees-aromatic\/","title":{"rendered":"Are fig trees aromatic?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are fig trees known for being particularly aromatic?<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I looked in a large number of our books on aromatic and fragrant plants,
\nand none listed fig (or Ficus carica) in the index. Although the leaves
\nmay be mildly aromatic, it is not the usual reason people cultivate the
\nplant, so apparently not much is written on the subject. I found a highly
\ntechnical scientific article on a study comparing male and female fig
\ntrees and fragrance emission. To the best of my understanding, the
\ncomposition of the volatile emissions and the quantity differed from male
\nto female, and were subject to seasonal and diurnal changes (most
\nemissions during the day, and in synchronization with the need to attract
\npollinators). What this suggests to me is that the scent of an
\nindividual tree may vary considerably.<\/p>\n

The following is from general information on figs, from Purdue
\nUniversity’s horticulture department.<\/a> Excerpt:<\/p>\n

Leaves: Fig leaves are used for fodder in India. They are plucked after
\nthe fruit harvest. Analyses show: moisture, 67.6%; protein, 4.3%; fat,
\n1.7%; crude fiber, 4.7%; ash, 5.3%; N-free extract, 16.4%; pentosans,
\n3.6%; carotene on a dry weight basis, 0.002%. Also present are
\nbergaptene, stigmasterol, sitosterol, and tyrosine.
\nIn southern France, there is some use of fig leaves as a source of
\nperfume material called “fig-leaf absolute”, a dark-green to
\nbrownish-green, semi-solid mass or thick liquid of herbaceous-woody-mossy
\nodor, employed in creating woodland scents.<\/p>\n

The following information<\/a> from a 2004 article by Tony Burfield entitled “a Brief Safety Guidance on Essential Oils” indicates that “fig-leaf absolute,” as an
\nessential oil, is phototoxic, in other words, will cause skin irritation
\nwhen exposed to light. For this reason, it is banned from inclusion in
\nperfumes by the International Fragrance Association.<\/p>\n

Another site, BoJensen.net,<\/a> includes “A small guide to Nature’s fragrances,” describing various essential oils.Excerpt:<\/p>\n

“Fig leaves have a characteristic sweet-green fragrance, perceptible when
\none stands close to the sun-warm trees or by handling the leaves. They
\nhave been extracted on a limited scale for perfumery use in Grasse in
\nsouthern France. According to Arctander, fig leaf absolute is a dark
\ngreen to brownish green, semi-solid mass or viscous liquid of a
\ndelicately sweet-green, herbaceous and somewhat woody odour with a mossy
\nundertone.<\/p>\n

“Roman Kaiser, among 200 identified constituents of fig leaf absolute,
\nfound a number of olfactorily relevant N-containing trace constituents,
\none of them 2-isobutyl-4-methylpyridine, characterized by an attractive
\ntobacco-like, green, herbaceous odor. Major odorants were linalool,
\nbenzyl acetate, methyl salicylate, beta-ionone and (Z)-3-hexenyl benzoate
\n[137].<\/p>\n

“Buttery et al. identified germacrene D as a major volatile component in
\nfig leaves. Other major volatiles were beta-cyclocitral, (Z)-3-hexenol
\nand (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate [129].”<\/p>\n

Ultimately, it seems to me that if you want to plant a fig tree with
\nfragrant leaves, you will have to do a sniff-test of your own. In my
\nexperience, all fruit–fresh and dried–from the tree is aromatic,
\nregardless of variety, but you may detect more subtle differences. Buy
\ndifferent types of fresh and dried figs at the market, and visit gardens
\nwhere figs are growing. I’m afraid that’s the best I can come up with.<\/p>\n

Ficus carica<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are fig trees known for being particularly aromatic?   I looked in a large number of our books on aromatic and fragrant plants, and none listed fig (or Ficus carica) in the index. Although the leaves may be mildly aromatic, it is not the usual reason people cultivate the plant, so apparently not much is written on the subject. I found a highly technical scientific article on a study comparing male and female fig trees and fragrance emission. To the…<\/p>\n

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