Hi honuea,
I'm confident you are talking about Aglaia odorata, a little Asian
tree/shrub which is a member of the mahagony family and produces
lightly scented yellow flowers which are used in tea. Common names
include Mock Lime, Mock Lemon, and Chinese rice flower.
Aglaia odorata:
http://www.crescentbloom.com/Plants/Specimen/AE/Aglaia%20odorata.htm
National Parks Board, Singapore:
Aglaia odorata
Family Name : Meliaceae
Common Name : Mock Lemon
Origin : South China
Shrub / Requires Moderate Water / Prefers Full Sun / Ornamental / Fragrant Plant
http://www.nparks.gov.sg/nursery/spe_by_search_details.asp?specode=356&searchdetail=detail
"Aglaia odorata Lour, Meliaceae, peppery orchid-tree: small tree;
branchlets with scattered, tiny, stellate scales. Leaves evergreen,
alternate, with 3 to 5 leaflets, petiole and rachis narrowly winged,
leaflets 3.5 to 7 cm long, glabrous and glossy, lanceolate or
oblanceolate. Inflorescence axillary, to 14 cm long. Flowers fragrant,
ca.* 2 mm across, calyx 5-lobed, 5 concave yellow petals, staminal
tube cup-like and with anthers stalked and attached to inside wall
(strange!), style short. Fruits yellowish berries, ca. 1 cm wide. At
first glance, this species looks like a Zanthoxylum (Rutaceae). This
Southeast Asian genus has about 100 species and is a member of the
mahagony family. Meliaceae species in Florida include the weedy
chinaberry tree, Melia azedarach L., and the Florida endangered
Swietenia mahagoni (L.) Jacq., West Indian mahagony. A. odorata is
used by Asians in Vero Beach as a lemon-pepper seasoning. Flowers are
used to scent tea and the linen closet. Indian River County (B96-359,
Alan McCarthy and Nancy C. Coile). (Mabberley 1989; Walker 1976)."
TRI-OLOGY, Vol. 35, No. 5
Nancy C. Coile, Ph. D., Managing Editor
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 1996
http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/~pi/enpp/96-9&10all.htm
University of Connecticut: Aglaia odorata Lour:
# Division: Magnoliophyta
# Class: Magnoliopsida
# SubClass: Rosidae
# Order: Sapindales
# SubOrder:
# Family: Meliaceae
http://florawww.eeb.uconn.edu/acc_num/198500621.html
IMAGES:
Aglaia odorata: Chinese rice flower: Meliaceae
http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/thumbnails/html/aglaia_odorata_thumbnails.htm
Mock Lime:
http://earthnotes.tripod.com/aglaia.htm
TEA:
"It has been customary in tea-growing districts to improve the flavor
of inferior teas by mixing them temporarily with certain fragrant
flowers, such as of Jasminum Sambac, Aiton; Aglaia odorata, Loureiro;
Gardenia pictorum, Hasskarl, etc., and afterward separating them out
again. This statement, however, is discredited by Prof. Tichomirow,
though he has seen special and high-grade green teas encased in boxes
containing a layer of the flowers of Aglaia odorata. The leaves of the
green tea have a dark bluish-green color, a pleasant, somewhat
fragrant odor, and a bitterish, slightly astringent, herbaceous taste.
They impart their peculiar taste and odor to boiling water by
infusion, forming an agreeable and invigorating drink. The leaves of
black tea are much darker-colored than those of the green, and their
taste and odor is not so pleasant. They form a brownish infusion with
boiling water. In Ceylon, black tea alone is manufactured, while in
Japan only green tea can be produced, because the Japanese variety of
tea does not bear fermentation (Flückiger, Pharmacognosie, 1891)."
(thanks to Pinkfreud-ga for providing this link)
http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/kings/camellia-sine.html
Additional Links:
GardenWeb forum: Aglaia odorata:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fragrant/msg082333271740.html
White Lotus Aromatics:
http://www.whitelotusaromatics.com/prices/abs.html
Hopefully this answers your question but please do not hesitate to get
in touch by posting a clarification request if needed (before
closing/rating the question). Too bad we can't share a cup of tea
now...
Thank you,
hummer
Unfortunately, I lost my search history when our electricity went off,
but basically I tried various spellings until I found one associated
with tea. Shortly after, Pinkfreud emailed with the same idea which
helped to confirm the spelling. |
