Tinkturenpresse

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 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]

„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