Ocimum Canum Oil

#### Ocimum Canum. About the heading Ocimun in this work, the author has preferred to limit the number of monographs to three: ##### Ocimum Canum—Ocimum Gratissimum and Ocimum Kilimanjaricum. The three oils, plus the **Basil**** ****Oils**, represent all the oils of the **Ocimum**** **species which have any importance for the perfume industry outside the countries of origin. Since the two once so popular and interesting types of the **Ocimum**** ****Canum **plant have lost most of their importance as sources of **Camphor**** **and **Methyl**** ****Cinnamate**, only a few details shall be mentioned here: **Ocimum Canum **is a native of Africa where it grows wild and abundantly over wide parts of that continent. In India, the plant also grows wild, and it has been brought to South America from that part of the world. Similarly to other Ocimum species, the ocimum canum is found in at least two physiological forms, usually named the Camphor type and the Methyl Cinnamate type. Both types grow in the above areas, but the former seems to prevail in the East African areas (see also **Ocimum Kilimanjaricum**). The author doubts if the oil of ocimum canum, camphor type, will ever find any application as such in perfumery. This oil contains from 50 to 70% camphor. From a perfumery point of view, the oil of ocimum canum, methyl cinnamate type, is more interesting. Oils of this type produced in various areas (Comoro islands, West Africa, etc.) show some variation in respect to odor characteristics, and only a very general odor description can be given: the oil is usually pale yellow or almost colorless and of intensely sweet, woody-balsamic odor with a rich and tenacious, fruity-balsamic body-note. The topnotes can be more or less coarse, but the dryout is usually very sweet, soft and pleasant. The flavor is at first slightly bitter- burning, but as a whole it is sweet, anisic-fruity, slightly perfumery and herbaceous-woody. It is not likely that this oil will find any application in flavor work. But if it were readily available in sizeable quantities, the oil could be used in soap perfumes, in fougères, chypres, lilac bases, apple blossom, citrus colognes, etc. It blends well with bois de rose oil, lavandin, cinnamic alcohol, geraniol, isobornyl acetate, ocotea pretiosa oil, phenoxyethyl isobutyrate, nitromusks, petitgrain oil, rosemary oil, styrax resinoid, etc. **Ocimum**** ****Canum**** ****Oil,**** **methyl cinnamate type, is presently produced irregularly and on a limited scale only.