#SmellingTheBouquet Vanilla comes from the fruit of the orchid Vanilla planifolia. Over 600ya, it was integral to the Totonac, Mayan & Aztec people in the plant’s native region of Mesoamerica. They practiced curing methods to enhance the aroma, making a paste to be blended with copal for incense.

Read the latest Discover + Share blog on how Garden scientist Dr. Mónica Carlsen is currently aiming to provide the first comprehensive characterization of floral scent across the genus Anthurium. 🔗 discoverandshare.org/2026/02/06/m...

➕ Catch Dr. Carlsen and mobotmuseum.bsky.social curator, Nezka Pfeifer this week as they offer visitors an in-depth look of Dr. Carlsen's scent research and the Smelling the Bouquet exhibition (open now–March 1)! 🗓️ Wednesday, February 11 from 9 a.m.–Noon 📍 Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center

When describing a new species, we often hear about the size, shape, and color of its leaves, flowers, and fruits. But what about its smell?

#chypre #SmellingTheBouquet Cistus ladanifer is a resinous, flowering shrub native to the western Mediterranean. Fragrant resin is exuded from the woody stems and leaves (labdanum) that is harvested by boiling the twigs and leaves, and skimming the resin that floats to the surface. Pix: @mobotgarden

#SmellingTheBouquet Chypre fragrances are an alchemy of contrasts, described as evoking an earthy and damp forest floor. Oak moss is a lichen with a complex scent characterized as green, seaweedy, earthy, smoky, woody, and animalic; in perfumes, it adds depth, warmth, and a forest-like quality.

#SmellingTheBouquet While all have some scent, liverworts (low-growing moss relatives) are renowned for their volatile compounds, which likely evolved to protect them from predation and include turpentine, carrots, mushrooms, and seaweed. Great scented liverwort is known for its subtle earthy scent.

(🧵1/3) This February marks the 100th anniversary of #BlackHistoryMonth! Over the course of U.S. history, Black individuals have immensely contributed to art, literature, music, sports, politics, sciences, and more.

Don't miss out! The first Orchid Nights kicks off tomorrow evening. 🍷🌸 🗓️ February 5 & February 19 from 6.–8 p.m. 🔗 buff.ly/q7ZeLSr Tickets are required to be purchased in advance for this event. This event is for those 21+. 📸Mary Lou Olson #MOBOTGarden

⚠️CLOSURE REMINDER⚠️ The Garden is closed today, January 26 due to inclement weather conditions. Please plan your visit for another date. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation! 📸 Nathan Kwarta #MOBOTGarden

⚠️ANNOUNCEMENT⚠️ The Garden will be closed on Saturday, January 24 and Sunday, January 25 due to inclement weather conditions. Please plan your visit for another date. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation! 📸 Nathan Kwarta #MOBOTGarden

How does scent change the way we curate museum exhibitions? #SmellingTheBouquet In a recent episode of the Internet of Senses Institute Podcast, Sofia Ehrich spoke with @mobotmuseum.bsky.social curator Nezka Pfeifer @mobotgarden.bsky.social. Read and listen olfactorycontractor.com/conversation...

Scent trapping Madagascar plants for #SmellingTheBouquet exhibition on display from @mobotgarden.bsky.social Herbarium Helichrysum ibityense is a small perennial herbaceous plant with white flowers that is found in dry forests, grasslands, and rocky areas in Madagascar. It has a minty fragrance.

Since the 1970s @mobotgarden has been working in Madagascar to explore, conserve, and restore unique flora in collaboration with local communities and the national government. One protected area is Ibity Massif, where Garden staff scent-trapped 13 species for the #SmellingTheBouquet exhibition.

Saving plants through scent: a perfumed collaboration The Red List Project focuses on conservation of endangered plants, with direct action supported by profits generated from the sale of products based upon the scent of threatened species by Spyros Drosopoulos, Baruti perfumes. #SmellingTheBouquet

The Climatron® maintains a toasty temperature of 85 degrees Fahrenheit year round. Inside you can find more than 2,800 plants (and some animals!) that typically thrive in tropical environments. 🌴 Explore the wonders of the 📍 Climatron on your next Garden visit! 📸 Nathan Kwarta #MOBOTGarden

Special exhibition @mobotgarden.bsky.social this summer! 🤩🤩🤩 Stay tuned for more details in April 2026.

#SmellingTheBouquet Late winter/early spring in Missouri is brightened by the blooming of the inflorescences of witch hazel trees, with their brightly colored stringy petals (yellow, orange, and red) and intoxicating scents, ranging from lemon and citrus to the jasmine fragrance.

#TreeOfLife #SmellingTheBouquet Baobabs are one of the largest & oldest angiosperms (flowering plants), & are widespread across continental Africa savannas, & near the border of Yemen & Oman. Nearly all of the plant is usable: saplings, leaves, the fruit, & seed oil. Pix: Dr. Nisa Karimi

See more bryology collections (specifically scented liverworts) on view now @mobotmuseum.bsky.social in #SmellingTheBouquet! 👃💐

Precious gift #SmellingTheBouquet From the Old French term franc encens (“pure” or “high quality” incense), frankincense is the dried resin from Boswellia sacra trees considered the most valuable and highly traded around the world. Incense and burner from Dhofar, Oman, the center of the modern trade

#SmellingTheBouquet Designed by the glassmaker and jeweler René Lalique, this elegant 1929 Skyscraper perfume bottle and cover was inspired by the elegant Art Deco Chrysler Building (NYC) for Parisian couturier Lucien Lelong's (1889-1958) "N" perfume. Courtesy of The Richard H. Driehaus Collection.

#SmellingTheBouquet This assemblage of scent bottles are made using the Venetian technique of murrine where images are made into glass cane, which is then cut into thin cross-sections revealing the image, and many are laid out and rolled onto a hot glass surface during the glassmaking process.

#SmellingTheBouquet At the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle, Tiffany & Co. exhibited a variety of their wares, including 15 scent bottles—referred to as vinaigrettes at the time. Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Art Nouveau designs were featured; his Favrile glass are identified by their iridescent surface.

Fragrant Containers #SmellingTheBouquet The 19th-century Industrial Revolution enabled mass production of glass bottles, making perfumes accessible to a broader audience. The 20th century introduced distinctive bottle designs influenced by movements such as Art Nouveau and Art Deco.

#SmellingTheBouquet Vinegar has been an important ingredient in many folk remedies & medicines. In the 18th century, small ornate containers (vinaigrettes) were popular; these boxes had pierced lids, containing a sponge soaked with an aromatic vinegar that was sniffed when encountering a foul odor.

Fragrant treasures #SmellingTheBouquet In the medieval period, pomanders became popular as a defense against plague outbreaks, offering protection from diseased air. These intricate silver & gold containers opened & held different aromatic substances rolled into a solid perfume.

The Queen of Flowers #SmellingTheBouquet The fossil record establishes the origins of the rose at 40 mya, whereas the oldest written record of the flower is from Assyrian cuneiform tablets, ca. 4,200 BCE. There are as many variations of the fragrance as there are rose varieties. So, what is rosiness?

#SmellingTheBouquet Part of the citrus olfactory family, bergamot essential oil has aspects of sweet orange peel combined with floral notes, lavender, and woody terpenoids. Its zesty side is complemented by its bitter, green, spicy-balsamic undertones. Pix: @mobotgarden.bsky.social Herbarium

The Fruitful Scents of Bitter Orange #SmellingTheBouquet The fruit of Citrus x aurantium is not particularly palatable, but the flowers are much more fragrant than other Citrus varieties. Originally from East Asia, the bitter orange was first introduced to the Mediterranean by the Romans.

Iris—Orris Root—the Blue Gold of Perfumery #SmellingTheBouquet Iris is a rhizome-producing perennial plant whose genus is via Greek iris ‘rainbow, iris (eye)’, after the Greek goddess of the rainbow. The specific epithet, pallida, means pale, germanica means of Germany & florentina means of Florence.

#NativeAmericanHeritageMonth #SmellingTheBouquet White sage is a sacred plant for North American Indigenous tribes, used for millennia for religious & cultural purposes. Cultural appropriation of white sage by non-Native people has driven great demand of plant material, including illegal poaching.

Banho de cheiro (“scented bath”) is a traditional Amazonian practice that uses aromatic herbs for physical and spiritual cleansing. This knowledge, rooted in traditional Indigenous practices, has been passed down through generations, transformed by various communities and religions over the years.

It's a beautiful day @mobotgarden.bsky.social's Victorian District neighborhood! Victorian-era buildings, including @mobotmuseum, Tower Grove House, Herring House, and Linnaean House are all decked out in miniature and from natural materials in the 2025 Holiday Flower and Train Show!🎄🚃

This is a wonderful post on old specimens and new.

Restoring Palo Santo, the Holy Wood of the Tropical Dry Forest: The research of Elizabeth Collins, George Mason University #SmellingTheBouquet 👃💐 Learn more about Betsy's research: experiment.com/u/4WrVNg

Next time you're @mobotgarden.bsky.social, stop by @mobotmuseum.bsky.social to see the Holiday tree decked out in scent-inspired plants! 🌹👃💐 Grateful thanks to the Garden's Members' Board for featuring fragrance plants on the tree. Best wishes for a fragrant holiday season! Pix: Nathan Kwarta

9 am to Noon Saturday, Nov 8th, @mobotgarden.bsky.social event Día de los Muertos www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/da-de-los-mu... Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday morning, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

Palo santo, the holy or sacred wood incense of the Americas ... #SmellingTheBouquet Palo Santo resin incense pieces Courtesy of Carmen Ulloa Ulloa Palo Santo resin incense granules Courtesy of Alfredo Fuentes Pix: Virginia Harold

Resin plants used for incense grow around the world. 👃💐 These are found in @mobotgarden.bsky.social Shoenberg Arid House #SmellingTheBouquet. Abyssinian myrrh (Commiphora habessinica) is native to eastern Africa with thorns and anti-bacterial qualities; its resin is used medicinally and is edible.

Not all plant resin smells the same ... 👃💐 In perfume, Peru balsam (Myroxylon peruiferum) is used in amber accords and other gourmand scents (those that smell like food such as chocolate or honey). Its scent include vanilla, smoky, balsamic, and clove notes. You can smell it in #SmellingTheBouquet

#Incense #SmellingTheBouquet Courbaril, Black copal, Copal negro (Hymenaea courbaril) Commonly found in the Caribbean, Central & South America, courbaril is an evergreen hardwood tree with many uses. The wood is used for furniture and flooring and the fruit pulp is used for food and drink.

Incense, a biological material that releases fragrant smoke when burned, is one of the most ancient forms of scenting the air or perfuming oneself. Several plants are capable of producing resinous sap, when hardened, becomes able to be burned as incense. See these and more in #SmellingTheBouquet

Thanks so much to Frauke Galia from An Aromatic Life for the opportunity to share more about #SmellingTheBouquet 👃💐!

The @mobotgarden.bsky.social water lilies may be gone for 2025, but you can still sniff the flower's fragrance in #SmellingTheBouquet @mobotmuseum.bsky.social! Nymphaea caerulea, the sacred blue water lily of the Nile, is a diurnal water that is fragrant with waxy and green floral notes.

Join us next week for our annual John Dwyer Lecture in Biology! 🌿 🗓️ Friday, November 7 from 4–5 p.m. 📍 Bayer Event Center 🔗 buff.ly/RqKtlzt 📸 Crop Trust #MOBOTGarden

The agricultural history of your favorite fall cucurbits: pumpkin 🎃 (ancient) theconversation.com/pumpkins-jou... and butternut squash 🧈🥜 (relatively new) www.edibleboston.com/blog/2023/11...

Thanks to the Internet of Senses Institute and Sofia C. Ehrich, @mobotmuseum.bsky.social's curator Nezka Pfeifer had the opportunity to talk more about how the #SmellingTheBouquet exhibition came to be. Check out the podcast on YT and other podcast platforms youtu.be/C315azl3aRg?...