Experts Discover the Mother of Roman Perfumes On the Mediterranean Coast



Researchers at the Pablo de Olavide University in Seville have described a new plant in the eastern Mediterranean, growing mainly near the coast.

The importance of this discovery is that the plant is the maternal ancestor of a species of hybrid origin, Reseda odorata, used since Roman times due to the fragrance of its flowers, and whose essence was used in the ancient cosmetics industry.

An article published in the journal Annales Botanici Fennici describes a new species of flowering plant, Reseda minoica, from the eastern Mediterranean region, more specifically from Crete (Gavdos Island, Greek’s southernmost island), Cyprus and Southern Turkey. “This species belongs to the genus Reseda of the Resedaceae family, related to the Cruciferae — which includes plants such as cabbage, mustard and radish — and grows on limestone substrates in scrubland near the coast,”

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