4 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS ing a further instance of natural astringents which may prove of cosmetic interest as an alternative to Witchhazel extracts for facial and other lotions. DIVERSITY OF ODOURS It is somewhat surprising to find the extent of the odour gamut among the geraniums and pelargoniums. E.J. Parry in the Chemistry of Essential Oils lists some 40 species based upon the odours as classified by E. M. Holmes in the P. & E. 0. R. (1913, p. 372), while D. McDonald, in Fragrant Flowers and Leaves (1895), among some 30 entries, mentions some varieties not found in the later list. From these I have selected a representative collec- tion, as is seen in the appended table. A BRIEF LIST OF THE SCENTED-LEAVED GERANIUMS AND PELARGONIUMS Citrus scented: Abrotanifolium Asperium .. Ci'triodora .. Variegatum .. Crispurn major Crispurn minor Prince of Orange Lady Scarborough Triste (Night-scented Rose scented: Capitaturn .. Graveolens Odoratissimum' ' Attar of Roses Herbal type: Clorinda .. Endsleigh Moore's Victor«' Tormentosum .. Lady Mary .. Little Gem .. Balsatalc type: Cedronellum .... Quercifolium .... Glutinosum .. Radula vitifolid• .. Radula balsameum .. Miscellaneous: Fulgidum .... Exstipulatum .... Glaucifolium . Atrum (night-s• nted)' Unique aurore .... White Unique .... Pretty Polly .... Southernwood Verbena Strong lemon Soft, sweet lemon Lemon-verbena Citronella Sweet lemon Sweet lemon Lemon-balm .. Rose and diphenyl oxide, .. Rose and rue .. Rose and tansy ß. Strong rose ! Eucalyptus (cineol) Peppermint, Citronella Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto .... Balm of Gilead .... Balsamic-balm .... Labdanum type .... Ditto .... Ditto Butyric Pennyroyal Clove-hyacinth Ditto Pungent aromatic Ditto Almond scented

THE GERANIUM FAMILY IN PERFUMERY 5 This presents the pleasant nuances of rose, or rose in conjunction with lemon, citronella, eucalyptus, peppermint, pennyroyal, nutmeg, almond, clove, hyacinth a•d balsam conversely, with the butyric element very prominent, we may record some decidedly unpleasant combinations, as we may note from such further epithets bestowed upon herb-Robert as "foxy-geranium" and "stinking Bob," for the foliage when bruised emits a stale, sickly, caproic and skatole•-tainted effluvium, similar to the odour ascribed to badgers, weasels and foxes--a characteristic which is also observed with the foliage of some of the "musky" Erodiums, such pelar- goniums as P. fulgid•m, P. abrotanifolium and also with the deadnettle (Lamium album), the wood-strawberry (Fragaria v•sca) and the weasel-snout ( Galeobdolon luteurn) . THE SCENTED "GERANIUMS" It is also remarkable that the botany texts concerned with Europe and N. America only afford information upon about a dozen species of the indigenous wild geraniums, and with the exception of the feral smell of herb-Robert, none of the remaining varieties exhibit the slightest approach to the geranium odour so familiar to us in our everyday work. It would therefore seem that the scented varieties of our gardens have originated from acclimatisation and cultivation of stock transferred from the native habitat of South Africa, and sometimes exhibiting a prodigious growth (for I observe from Garden Flowers in Colour, by G. A. Stevens, published in 1939 by the Macmillan Company of New York, that: "The well-known bedding geranium of Northern gardens is a shrub in California, climbing up the sides of houses and over fences. Its round, velvety, scented foliage is particularly handsome and immune to insect pests, while its jolly, comfortable-looking flowers are exceedingly brilliant and long lasting . . . there are many different geraniums, and the plants which we commonly grow under this name are really pelargoniums. The true geraniums are mostly wildings, suitable for natural plantings or rock-gardens. None of them is very showy, although most species are acceptably pretty."). From the country of their origin I have a note regarding one of the mountain geraniums, locally known as the Wilde Malfa (P. cucullat•m). This is reported to grow into fair-size bushes about the size of a small hay- rick. To come to the more prosaic plants, however, I note that the earlier garden manuals list some sixty varieties of the "true" geraniums, among which the most important would seem to be the scarlet-flowered G. odoratis- simum, described as the geranium-oil plant. There is also the large-rooted, purple-flowered G. macrorhi•um, the blossoms as well as the leaves of which are described as having a "strong aromatic scent." This plant, within recent years, is perhaps more familiar to perfumers by its Bulgarian name of