Picea Excelsa Oil

#### Picea Excelsa Oil. Although a number of widely different oils are offered in Europe under the (translated) name of "fir needle oil", this term should apply only to the oil, distilled from the needles and twigs of **Picea Excelsa **(a pine tree). The tree is known in Scandinavia as "**Red Spruce**" or "**Norway**** ****Spruce**". A related tree, the **Picea Vulgaris **is known as "**White Fir**". Unfortunately, the distillation of the leaves (needles) of **Picea Excelsa **has not become very popular anywhere. Small quantities of the oil are produced in Tirol (Austria), U.S.S.R., Germany, Yugoslavia and occasionally in France. A similar essential oil is distilled from the **Picea**** ****Omorica**** **in Yugoslavia. **Picea Excelsa Oil **is a water-white or pale yellow colored, mobile liquid of very light, fresh, balsamic-pine needle type odor. The dryout is somewhat less sweet, woody, slightly cedarlike. The oil belongs to the group of "low-ester" pine needle oils, and thus has caught less interest among perfumers than have certain other types of pine needle oil (see monograph on **Pine**** ****Needle**** ****Oil).** **Picea Excelsa Oil **is used along with other pine, spruce or so-called "fir" needle oils in air-fresheners, room deodorants, bath-oils, soap perfumes, fougère bases, etc., and as a modifier in colognes, chypres, etc. The oil blends excellently with synthetic materials such as isobornyl acetate, amyl salicylate, coumarin, terpineol, cyclohexanone derivatives, nitromusks, etc. or with naturals such as oakmoss products, labdanum products, lavandin, orange oils, rosemary oil, cedarwood oils, cedarleaf oil, juniperberry oil, etc. Due to its high content of unstable monoterpenes, the oil should be kept dry, dark and air free or adequately treated with an antioxidant. The annual production of **Picea**** ****Excelsa**** ****Oil**** **is hardly more than 10 metric tons, but the botanical raw material is abundantly at hand. See also **Fir**** ****Needle**** ****Oils,**** **summary.