Oakmoss

Oakmoss

Taxobox
name = Oakmoss


image_width = 200px
regnum = Fungi
phylum = Ascomycota
classis = Lecanoromycetes
ordo = Lecanorales
familia = Parmeliaceae
genus = "Evernia"
species = "E. prunastri"
binomial = "Evernia prunastri"
binomial_authority = (L.) Ach.

Oakmoss, also known as "Evernia prunastri", is a type of lichen used extensively in modern perfumery. This lichen can be found in many mountainous temperate forests throughout the Northern Hemisphere, including parts of France, Portugal, Spain, North America, and much of Central Europe. Oakmoss grows primarily on the trunk and branches of oak trees, but is also commonly found on the bark of other deciduous trees and conifers such as fir and pine. The thalli of Oakmoss are short (3-4 cm in length) and bushy, and grow together on bark to form large clumps. Oakmoss thallus is flat and strap-like. They are also highly branched, resembling the form of deer antlers. The colour of Oakmoss ranges from green to a greenish-white when dry, and dark olive-green to yellow-green when wet. The texture of the thalli are rough when dry and rubbery when wet.

Oakmoss is commercially harvested in countries of South-Central Europe and usually exported to the Grasse region of France where its fragrant compounds are extracted as Oakmoss absolutes and extracts. These raw materials are often used as perfume fixatives and form the base notes of many fragrances. They are also key components of Fougère and Chypre class perfumes. The lichen has a distinct and complex odor and can be described as woody, sharp and slightly sweet. Oakmoss growing on pines have a pronounced turpentine odor that is valued in certain perfume compositions.

Health & Safety information

Oakmoss should be avoided by people with perfume allergy [ [http://www2.mst.dk/udgiv/publications/2006/87-7052-278-2/html/kap07_eng.htm Survey and health assessment of chemical substances in massage oils] ] .

ee also

* Ethnolichenology
* Treemoss

References


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • oakmoss — noun Date: 1921 any of several lichens (as Evernia prunastri) that grow on oak trees and yield a resin used in perfumery …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • oakmoss — /ohk maws , mos /, n. a lichen, Evernia pranastri, growing on oak and other trees, yielding a resin used in the manufacture of perfumes. [1920 25; OAK + MOSS] * * * …   Universalium

  • oakmoss — noun Evernia prunastri, a lichen found primarily on oak trees …   Wiktionary

  • oakmoss — oak•moss [[t]ˈoʊkˌmɔs, ˌmɒs[/t]] n. fng a lichen, Evernia pranastri, growing on oak and other trees, yielding a resin used in the manufacture of perfumes • Etymology: 1920–25 …   From formal English to slang

  • oakmoss — ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun : any of several lichens that grow on oak trees and yield a resin used in perfumery * * * /ohk maws , mos /, n. a lichen, Evernia pranastri, growing on oak and other trees, yielding a resin used in the manufacture of perfumes.… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Evernia prunastri — Oakmoss Scientific classification Kingdom: Fungi Phylum …   Wikipedia

  • Perfume — For other uses, see Perfume (disambiguation). The Perfume Maker, by Rodolphe Ernst Perfume (English: /ˈpɝː.fjuːm/, French parfum pronounced: [paʁ.fœ̃]) is a mixture of fragrant …   Wikipedia

  • Fragrance wheel — The Fragrance Wheel is a fragrance classification method developed in 1983 by Michael Edwards, a consultant in the fragrance industry. He designed it after being inspired by a fragrance seminar by Firmenich.cite web |author= Osborne, Grant |date …   Wikipedia

  • Lichen — For other uses, see Lichen (disambiguation). Lichenes from Ernst Haeckel s Artforms of Nature, 1904 …   Wikipedia

  • Parmeliaceae — Parmelia cunninghammii, photographed in New Zealand. Scale bar = 1 cm. Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

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