wisteria_sinensis_sims

Wisteria sinensis (Sims) DC. - syn. Glycine sinensis Sims; Kraunhia sinensis (Sims) Greene - Fabaceae
紫藤 zi teng (chin.), Chinese wisteria, Chinesischer Blauregen

Deciduous woody climber, native to China, cultivated elsewhere as ornamental; stems twining counterclockwise; leaves imparipinnate, leaflets (7-13) elliptic-ovate to lanceolate-ovate; flowers in long terminal racemes, fragrant, 2-2.5cm, corolla purple or occasionally white. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200012368

Major constituents of the vacuum headspace concentrate of the flower volatiles were linalool (38%), and methyl palmitate (4%). Among the minor constituents were 4-(1-propen-1yl)-phenol (anol, 2.2%), chavicol, (E)- and (Z)-anethol, (E)- and (Z)-isoeugenol and (E)-methylisoeugenol, probably responsible in a large part for the unusual odor. Nitrogen containing compounds identified were indole (2%) and benzyl cyanide (1%).
[Joulain, D. „Study of the fragrance given off by certain springtime flowers.“ Progress in essential oil research (1986): 57-67]

The headspace of Wisteria sinensis flowers contained 5-hydroxylinalool (1.1%, odor type floral-sour citrus, with a dry straw undertone).
[The composition of the headspace from fragrant flowers: Further results., Joulain D., Flavour and Fragrance J 1987; 2: 149-155]

Among the character-donating components of the fragrance of Wisteria sinensis flowers, the β-chromenes 6-methoxy-4H-1-benzopyran-7-ol and 6,7-dimethoxy-4H-1-benzopyran (isolated from the hexane extract) imparted a characteristic smoked odour.
[Two volatile β-chromenes from Wisteria sinensis flowers., Joulain, D., Tabacchi, R., Phytochemistry, 37(6), 1994, 1769-1770]

Of the 28 volatiles emitted from Chinese wisteria flowers and collected using a dynamic headspace technique, linalool (11.1µg/h/g), (E)-β-ocimene (4.8µg/h/g) and methyl benzoate (1.0µg/h/g) were the most abundant. Sesquiterpenes were not found in Chinese wisteria. Other compounds present in W.sinensis flower scent were methyl salicylate, methyl chavicol, methyl hexadecanoate, methyl octanoate, methyl pentanoate, decanal, indole, benzyl cyanide and 1,8-cineole.
[Floral scent in Wisteria: chemical composition, emission pattern, and regulation., Jiang, Y., Chen, X., Lin, H., Wang, F., Chen, F., Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science, Vol.136(5), 2011, 307-314]
http://journal.ashspublications.org/content/136/5/307.full.pdf+html

Witte,H., Flora. Afbeeldingen en beschrijvingen van boomen, heesters, éénjarige planten, enz., voorkomende in de Nederlandsche tuinen, p.41, t.11, fig.B (1868) [A.J.Wendel]
http://plantgenera.org/species.php?id_species=1075053