Leptactina senegambica Hook.f. - Rubiaceae - **karo-karoundé**, karo karounde

Shrub, native to West Africa (Guinea, Sierra Leone, Mali); flowers white, scented. The scent has been described as somewhat similar to jasmine, but woodier, spicier and more herbal. The [[http://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/ab1045711.html|absolute]] is used in perfumery for white flower notes and heavy floral blends.

The concrete of the flowers contained benzyl cyanide and isoeugenol. \\
[Sabetay, S., L. Palfray, and L. Trabaud. "Sur la présence de cyanure de benzyle dans l'essence concrète de Karo Karoundé. C, r. hebd." Séanc. Acad. Sci., Paris 207 (1938): 540-542]

| {{:isoeugenol.jpg| isoeugenol}} \\ isoeugenol |{{:nitrophenylethan.jpg| 1-nitro-2-phenylethane }} \\ 2-phenylnitroethane | 

"Hexane extraction of the flowers of Karo-Karounde (Leptactinia senegambica) harvested in Guinea gave a 0.15% yield of an orange-brown waxy concrete which, upon treatment with ethanol using the conventional method, gave a 60% absolute..." \\
The major part of the absolute (more than 230 compounds) consisted of fatty acids and their esters (ethyl-, 2-methylbutyl-, benzyl- and phenylethyl-). Other components were benzyl cyanide (4.75%), 2-phenylnitroethane (1.10%), isoeugenol (0.45%), aliphatic nitriles, phenols and lilac alcohols e.g. \\
[Joulain, D., and R. Laurent. "absolute from karo-karounde flowers." Developments in food science (1988), 607-625] \\
[Notes on Minor Oils - Karo-karoundé (Leptactina senegambica Hook. f.), 2010] [[http://cropwatch.org.uk/karo%20karounde%20feature.pdf]]