Sweet Pea

#### Sweet Pea. **Lathyrus Latifolius **and other species of **Lathyrus **are very popular garden flowers (climbing vines), cultivated for their wealth of fragrant flowers in white, pink, pastel blue, rose-red, mauve and striped and many other colors. The origin of the plant has not yet been determined but it is believed that the plant came from southern Europe. Although there is some difference in the fragrance of the various colors and species of **Lathyrus **(flowers), the difference is not nearly as wide as in the case of e.g. rose varieties. **Lathyrus **species are cultivated all over the world in cold- temperate zones and in semi-tropical zones. The islands of Bermuda are famous for their sweet peas (as the plant is also called), and a local Bermudan perfume industry claims the rare use of **Lathyrus **flowers in their perfume production. **Lathyrus**** **flowers could be extracted by the enfleurage method or by direct solvent extraction. The latter method is occasionally applied in Europe. However, true and exclusively natural products from **Lathyrus **flowers are not regularly produced anywhere. The fragrance of the flowers recall that of freesia, certain roses (e.g. the wild rosa canina, also called hip-rose or hedge-rose) with a very delicate touch of orange blossom or hyacinth. However, the most typical feature of the fragrance of lathyrus is its suave lightness, almost balsamic (like the non-aldehydic part of hyacinth), sweet (like rose-freesia) and yet honeylike sweet, subdued floral (like orange flower) with a bouquet and top of mild greenness. **Lathyrus **perfumes are accordingly based upon other natural perfume materials with addition of various synthetic perfume materials, e.g. tuberose, orange flower absolute, jasmin absolute, rose de mai absolute, vanilla absolute, terpeneless petit- grain bigarade, styrax products, benzoin products, tolu products, cinnamic alcohol, methyl cinnamic alcohol, terpineol, phenylethyl alcohol, linalyl anthranilate, beta-gamma hexenyl acetate, hydratropyl acetone, phenylethylmonochloroacetate, etc. **Sweet**** ****Pea**** **perfume bases are used in perfume creation as floral, sweet and light bases to be blended and modified with other perfume bases.