Archimedes Plutonium wrote in message ...
I am guessing that the worlds finest smelling plant is Lilac hedges in
potency and in quality. I suspect that the first perfume was the smell
of lilacs but cannot judge for other than the northern temperate zone.
Perhaps other zones have something else.

One thing about the smell of lilac is that it is great, but I have a
hard time of mentally remembering what the smell is and have to initiate
myself every Spring. I do not know why the mind can remember a visual
but has a difficult time of remembering a smell. Perhaps because a smell
has no geometric component to it.

As for pine smell, I have been to alot of forests and pine nurseries and
find that Scots or Scotch pine seem to have the strongest pine smell.
Without cutting or manipulating the trees, just the aroma they impart to
the air surroundings.

Have you heard of flowering screwpines (Pandanus Odoratissmuss)?
Though the personal choices may vary, it is said that Michelia
champaca (orange variety), perhaps available in Florida in few
nurseries, is said to have greatest fragrance and its essential oil is
used for making the perfume JOY-supposed to be the most expensive one
in the world. After reading about this much praised plant I bought
(white variety) after paying a heavy price... and yet the frangrance
is not-so-wonderful as claimed everywhere though a subtle fragrance
can be felt in the garden from just few flowers.

If you like heavily scented plants, which scent the air of your
garden, some of my favourites, but still small in my garden are the
Ylang-Ylang tree and some Asian plants like Pandanus flower
(Screwpine), a single one foot yellow flower of this pine can scent a
whole garden, it grows near the coastal areas of India, Tahitian
Gardenia one of the rarer Gardenias, and Mimusops elengi again native
to India, and many night blooming jasmines-- Jasminum sambac etc.
Sadly all of these plants are of the temperate zone.

By the way, is it possible to identify and isolate the frangrant
components of "live" fragrant flowers by using modern analytical
techniques just as in your case of Lilacs (what is the main chemical
substance that is causing the smell)?