mignonette (Reseda)
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''Reseda'' , also known as the mignonette , is a
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of fragrant herbaceous plants native to
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,
southwest Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...
and
North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
, from the Canary Islands and
Iberia The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
east to northwest
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. The genus includes herbaceous annual, biennial and perennial species 40–130 cm 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 1–15 cm long. The
flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s are produced in a slender spike, each flower small (4–6 mm diameter), white, yellow, orange, or green, with four to six petals. The
fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...
is a small dry capsule containing several seeds. Other common names include weld or dyer's rocket (for '' R. luteola''), and bastard rocket.


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 ambrosial scent of its flowers. It is used in flower arrangements,
perfume Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...
s and
potpourri Potpourri ( ) is a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant materials used to provide a gentle natural scent, commonly in residential settings. It is often placed in a decorative bowl. The word "potpourri" comes into English from the French ...
. 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 Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
times. The volatile oil is used in
perfume Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...
ry. The 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, 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, Isatis, derives from ...
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 naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...
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'' 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 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 San ...
'' * ''
Reseda aucheri 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 San ...
'' * ''
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 San ...
'' * ''
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 San ...
'' * ''
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 San ...
'' Glaucous Mignonette * '' Reseda decursiva'' * '' Reseda ellenbeckii'' * '' Reseda glauca'' * '' Reseda globulosa'' * '' Reseda gredensis'' * '' Reseda inodora'' * '' Reseda jacquinii'' ** subsp. ''litigiosa'' * '' Reseda lanceolata'' * ''
Reseda lutea ''Reseda lutea'', the yellow mignonette or wild mignonette, is a species of fragrant herbaceous plant. Its leaves and flowers have been used to make a yellow dye called "weld" since the first millennium BC, although the related plant ''Reseda l ...
'' Wild Mignonette ** subsp. ''neglecta'' * '' Reseda luteola'' Weld ** subsp. ''biaui'' * '' Reseda media'' * '' Reseda minoica'' * '' Reseda muricata'' * ''
Reseda odorata ''Reseda odorata'' is a species of flowering plant in the reseda family known by many common names, including garden mignonette and common mignonette. It is probably native to the Mediterranean Basin, but it can sometimes be found growing in th ...
'' 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''


References


External links


Data sheet with pictures of weld (''Reseda luteola'' L.)
(in German) {{DEFAULTSORT:Reseda (Plant) Plant dyes