Tuberose, a narcotic flower

Tuberose is also called Madonna Lily. It is a singular, proud flower. Tuberose is planted in a straight line, the bulbs are spaced exactly 15 cm apart, not more.

It is the most fragrant stem in the plant kingdom and has the particularity of exhaling its perfume 48 hours after being cut. During the Renaissance, young women were forbidden to walk through the erotically fragrant tuberose fields at night.

 

Where does tuberose come from?

Tuberose is exotic and narcotic flower with the drug effect, it is found in southern India, Egypt, The Comoros, Morocco, Tunisia, Italy, Spain, and in the South of France in Grasse. It requires a warm, dry climate to grow.

In 1632 Father Théophile Minuti introduced it to Lower Provence, and it became so popular that the date of its arrival was recorded.

Tuberose comes from Mexico. It is said that the Aztecs used its essential oil to flavour their chocolate. It was introduced to Europe during the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the 16th century, and later it was introduced to Asia. It was formerly known as the Indian hyacinth.

During the reign of Louis XIV, it perfumed the corridors of Versailles. The King's gardeners brought in 10,000 tuberose bulbs for the Trianon plantations.

Since the 19th century, tuberose production has increased, although it is only grown for its fragrance in perfumery.
Another variety of tuberose with double flowers is widely used in bouquets.

In India, tuberose is harvested every morning from May to December. The name of this flower, in Hindi, means night fragrance. In India, tuberose is widely used for festivals, religious rituals and weddings, mainly as a garland to decorate the bridal room of the newlyweds. It is considered an erotic flower.

 

 

Use of tuberose in perfumery

Natural scent of tuberose can be obtained by extraction with volatile solvents. It is very expensive. In the past, it was processed by enfleurage. Tuberose, which comes from India, has a narcotic odour, it is a little medicinal in the top notes, like an ointment scent, but after a few seconds tuberose offers a sulphurous scent between honeyed and candied nectar, generous to the point of excess, exotic. Tuberose is poisonous and extremely sensual.

Some brands cannot afford the natural tuberose but can always use the reconstitution, which will always be different from the natural flower scent.

To get the idea of a tuberose, the perfumer will have to orchestrate different notes: natural jasmine or a composition of jasmine, ylang-ylang, indole, coconut, Methyl Anthranytlate style orange note, heliotropin, mimosa, and other trace elements.

 

Description of the tuberose

Botanical name of tuberose: Polyanthes tuberosa
Botanical family of tuberose: Agavaceae

Tuberose flower has 5 petals. There are 20 flowers per tuberose spike. It takes 1,000 tuberose flowers to produce 1 kg of absolute.

 

Tuberose blooming

Tuberose blooms from May to December, peaking in August. They are picked by hand each morning as the corollas open. A thousand plants yield an average of 30 to 40 kg of flowers.

Tuberose plant measures between 1m and 1.50m in height. It is a fragile flower that likes to be clean and requires daily maintenance with a lot of manual weeding.

This flower used to be part of the Grasse landscape like jasmine, rose or mimosa, but its cultivation had become too expensive in France, the labour is expensive and the yields are too low. But recently, thanks to some producers in Grasse, it can be found again in the shelter of the Tanneron massif. Some small producers have even re-launched, in an anecdotal way, the enfleurage (thanks to the association of exceptional flowers of the Grasse region).

The current origin remains mainly in India.

 

Processing and manufacturing of the tuberose raw material

Tuberose can only be extracted with volatile solvents to obtain tuberose absolute. Its absolute is one of the most expensive in the world.

 

Olfactive description of tuberose

White flower scent like jasmine, orange blossom, neroli, frangipani, gardenia, magnolia, lily. White flowers are feminine absolutes. Tuberose has a medicinal and camphoraceous facet. It also has green and earthy accents. Tuberose can also have an almondy side and can sometimes be perceived as a kind of fruity jasmine. It is very sensual, carnal, narcotic, even animal, to the point of evoking the femme fatale.

 

Tuberose in perfumery

Perfumers either love it or fear it, it must be tamed with softer, rounder notes or overdone.

Tuberose is often used to create white floral accords. It is more associated with feminine fragrances. Tuberose is an extrovert and boisterous flower, bringing opulence and character to a fragrance. It can also be used to give an exotic, suave, solar, carnal or voluptuous side to a perfume. It is found in the heart notes, but its trail is so powerful that it can also be perceived in the base notes.

 

Fragrances containing tuberose

• Fracas by Piguet
• Poison by Dior
• Tendre Poison by Dior
• Jardins de Bagatelle by Guerlain
• Mayotte by Guerlain
• Joyeuse Tubéreuse by Guerlain
• Giorgio Beverly Hills by Karl Lagerfeld
• Chloé by Karl Lagerfeld
• Tubéreuse Criminelle by Serge Lutens
• Carnal Flower by Frédéric Malle
• Nuit de Tubéreuse by L’Artisan Parfumeur
• Gabrielle by Chanel
• Fleur de Peau by Diptyque
• Do son by Diptyque
• Twilly by Hermès
• La Fille de l’Air by Courrèges
• Fragile by Jean Paul Gaultier
• Turbulences by Vuitton
• Tubéreuse Mystique by Bulgari
• Amarige by Givenchy
• Gucci Bloom by Gucci
• Café Tuberosa by Atelier Cologne

 

Tuberose in Sylvaine Delacourte perfumes

Tuberose is a member of the white flowers family. You can find similar notes in Lilylang, Olyssia and Vanori.
Discover Sylvaine Delacourte's brand with her Orange Blossom, Musk and Vanilla Collections. You can try them thanks to the Discovery Boxes (5 Eaux de Parfum x 2 ml) and rediscover these raw materials as you have never smelled them before.