Category: Useful to know

Bitter Orange (Citrus Aurantium Amara) Plant Family Rutaceae Synonym: Seville orange Citrus aurantium L. Subsp. amara L., Citrus aurantium L. Subsp. aurantium Origin The bitter orange is native to Southeast Asia and has been spread by humans to many parts of the world. In fact,...

Star Anise (Illicium verum) Plant Family Illiciaceae Synonyms Star aniseed, Chinese anise Origin Star anise is the fruit evergreen tree native to china. It has been used as as a culinary spice and medicine for treatment of digestive disorders and coughs for millenia. In the...

Orange blossom essential oil is extracted from bitter orange (Citrus bigaradia Risso, C. aurantium Rutaceae) blossoms, freshly harvested in May or October, using the steam distillation method. Orange blossom essential oil is characterised by a distinctive, slightly stronger than average, floral scent. Orange blossom essential...

Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) Plant Family Myrtaceae Synonyms Melaleuca linariifolia var. Alternifolia Maid.&Bet. Origin This species of the Melaleuca family is natiue to Australia. Tea tree has been used for thousands of years by the Australian Aborigines, who crush the leaves and use them to...

Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) Plant Family Rutaceae Synonym: Unrectified bergamot Citrus aurantium subsp. bergamia Risso&Poit Origin The bergamot orange is a species similar to the bitter orange. The most likely origin of the name is that it derived from Bergamo, in Lombardy, where the fruit was...

Lemon (Citrus limonum) Plant Family Rutaceae Synonyms Citron, Lime Origin The lemon tree is native to India but arrived in Europe with the cusaders as long ago as the twelfth century. Now the principal seat of the lemon oil industry is Sicily, though the most...

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris, Thymus serpyllum L) Plant Family  Lamiaceae (Labiatae) Synonyms Common thyme, Red thyme, White thyme, Wild thyme Origin Thyme is native to Mediterranean Europe and is widely grown as a culinary herb. It has also been used as a medicinal herb for thousands...

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus)Plant Family MyrtaceaeSynonymsEucalyptus Citriodora, Eucalyptus Camaldulensis, Eucalyptus Dives, Eucalyptus Polybractea, Eucalyptus Radiata.OriginThe eucalyptus or blue gum tree is indigenous to Australia and was used as a medicinal herb by the Aborigines. In the nineteenth century a German botanist, von Muller, introduced the tree...