Tuberose, or Polianthes tuberosa is found all over the world.
Thought to be a native plant in South East Asia, its beautiful scent has had travellers bringing and planting it all over the world.
The Aztecs call it bone flower.
The Hawaiians use it for Leis.
The Indonesians cook the flower in soups or use it to make a soy sauce.
In China, it is grown to make essential oil.
All over the world, its sweet, hypnotic fragrance makes it a popular note in high perfumery.
Due to its delightful scent and aphrodisiac qualities, the white tuberose is used in wedding leis - garlands used in Hawaiian weddings.
The tuberoses for these leis often come from Mexico or Central America as tuberose requires a warm, longgrowing season.
Tuberose grows from bulbs.
They thrive in warm weather and cannot stand frost.
The bulbs must be dug up before winter.
Once they bloom, one or two open flowers are enough to fill the garden with their delightful scent.
They are an excellent addition to a fragrant, night blooming garden of romance.
It blooms at night.
A garden with tuberose will be filled with its sensual fragrance at night.
In the olden days, in France, girls were warned to avoid breathing in its fragrance after dark as it would put them in a romantic mood.
In India, it is known as The Mistress of the Night, also due to the sensual fragrance of the night blooming flower.
Tuberose essential oil is very costly.
The pure oil is even more expensive than most rose attars which are already notoriously expensive.
Tuberose essential oil is used in aromatherapy as an aphrosidiac, to relieve stress and anxiety and to relieve inflammation and muscle pain.
It is also used to treat impotency and frigidity.
Tuberose [http://www.
everythingbeauty.
info/tuberose.
htm] is often used as a top note in women's perfumes.
The white flower has an intoxicating, sweet scent that is simply delicious.