Introduction

Introduction
    Introduction
  • Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.), belonging to the family, Amaryllidaceae,
  • It is essentially a florist's flower and one of the leading commercial crops because of its multifarious uses.
  • The predominant charac¬teristics of this crop are its lingering, delightful fragrance and excellent keeping quality.
  • It has a great economic potential for cut flowers trade and essential oil industry.
  • Due to their great demand it is being cultivated in most part of the tropical and subtropical countries.
    Importance and Uses
  • The flowers remain fresh for pretty long time and stands long distance transport.
  • They are used for making artistic garlands, floral ornaments, bouquets and buttonholes.
  • The long flower spikes are excellent cut flowers for table decoration.
  • The variegated ones with beautiful golden stripes on foliage margins are very attractive and suitable for garden display.
  • The fleshy, white, tubular flowers emit a strong odour and hence are cultivated on a large scale in some parts of the world for the extraction of highly valued natural flower oil, the tuberose oil.
  • The tuberose oil contains methyl benzoate, methyl anthranilate, benzyl alcohol, benzyl benzoate, butryic acid, phenyl acetic acid, methyl salicylate, eugenol, geraniol, nerol both free and as acetates, farnesol, methyl vanillin and piperomel.
  • The leaves, flowers, bulbs and roots are reported to contain sterols, triterpenes, carbohydrates, saponins and traces of alkaloids.
  • The tuberose flower oil of commerce is one of the most sought after and expensive raw materials in perfumery.
  • The fresh flowers give a concrete yield of 0.08 to 0.11 %, of which nearly 18 to 23% constitutes the alcohol-soluble 'absolute'.
  • The essential oil is used in only the highest grade perfumes. Sometimes, the oil is used in flavouring candy, beverages and baked food.
Last modified: Monday, 11 June 2012, 3:59 AM