During the mid-19th century, when Phlomis Asplenia was introduced, Europe was experiencing a growing fascination with exotic flora, scientific exploration, and botanical collections. Fashions in perfume were shifting from heavy oriental and animalic compositions to lighter, fresher bouquets that celebrated greenery, herbs, and flowers. The launch of this perfume coincided with a period of intellectual curiosity and aristocratic refinement, when women of distinction would have appreciated a fragrance named after plants that sounded both exotic and cultivated. The very title, with its classical overtones, would have suggested sophistication and a cultivated taste, appealing to those who valued both elegance and subtlety in their olfactory choices.
Scent-wise, Phlomis Asplenia would likely have presented as a fougere, a classification centered on green, herbaceous, and aromatic notes often blended with floral undertones. The perfume would begin with a lightly green, slightly minty opening reminiscent of fresh sage leaves and soft fern-like greenery. Its heart would develop gentle floral or herbal nuances, perhaps accentuated with hints of lavender or soft florals, maintaining an airy and refined character rather than overt sweetness. The base would offer subtle depth, potentially through musks or mild resins, providing a soft lingering warmth that anchored the airy green notes without overpowering them. Compared with other fragrances of the period, Phlomis Asplenia was likely aligned with contemporary trends in celebrating botanical sophistication, yet its inventive naming, scholarly allusions, and likely fougere style would have made it stand out as a uniquely intellectual and elegant scent, a delicate contrast to the heavier oriental and animalic perfumes still common on the market.
In essence, Phlomis Asplenia embodied a perfume of quiet refinement: green, herbal, and softly floral, appealing to the cultivated taste of mid-19th-century women who sought both novelty and elegance in their fragrances. The scent, coupled with its erudite name, evoked a garden of subtle intrigue and understated aristocratic charm.
Jardin d’Hiver Collection:
Guerlain’s Jardin d’Hiver Collection, launched in 1848, represents a remarkable celebration of botanical singularity and refined artistry. Each fragrance within the collection is devoted to a single floral or plant note, captured with painstaking care to highlight its unique character and essence. The collection’s Latin-styled names—Tilia microphylla, Lathyrus odorans, Mimosa fragrans, Cyperus ruber, and the most recent addition (1853), Mimosa Esterhazya—lend an air of classical sophistication, evoking the scholarly prestige and aristocratic refinement associated with the study of plants and natural sciences. These names, both precise and exotic, signal the high level of craft and attention devoted to each fragrance, appealing to a clientele who valued knowledge, taste, and exclusivity.
At the 1851 Universal Exposition, these perfumes competed not merely as products of luxury, but as demonstrations of technical mastery and artistic innovation. Each extrait is a distillation of a single botanical note, conveying the essence of the plant in a way that is at once vivid, nuanced, and enduring. Tilia microphylla, for instance, would have unfolded with the delicate, honeyed softness of its linden blossoms, while Mimosa fragrans exudes a sunlit, powdery warmth, evocative of early spring mornings. Cyperus ruber, with its earthy, subtly green facets, contrasts with the intensely floral sweetness of Lathyrus odorans, creating a spectrum of olfactory experiences within a unified concept.
The collection was designed for the highest echelons of society, intended for women who were not merely consumers of fragrance but arbiters of taste and refinement. These perfumes were not relegated to the dressing table as casual adornments; they were worn as statements of identity and prestige, perfuming the air with subtlety and elegance. In essence, the Jardin d’Hiver Collection embodies the aristocratic ethos of mid-19th century Paris—a union of botanical scholarship, artistic sophistication, and the cultivated elegance expected of the queens of fashion and fortune. Each fragrance is an intimate portrait of a singular flower, captured with the utmost care, and presented as a jewel of olfactory refinement.
Fragrance Composition:
So what does it smell like? Phlomis Asplenia, as part of Guerlain’s 1848 Jardin d’Hiver Collection, would have smelled green, herbal, and delicately floral, in keeping with its likely classification as a fougère-style fragrance.
The top notes would have opened with the herbaceous, slightly camphorous scent of Phlomis (Jerusalem sage), carrying a fresh, aromatic, and mildly peppery green character. If paired with hints of fern-like or grassy elements suggested by Asplenium, the initial impression would have been airy, crisp, and reminiscent of a shaded, sun-dappled garden in early morning.
In the heart, subtle floral undertones—possibly violet, lily-of-the-valley, or soft herbs—would have emerged, weaving a gentle sweetness into the aromatic green. This layer would have softened the sharpness of the herbaceous top notes while maintaining a refined naturalism rather than a heavy or syrupy bouquet.
The base would have offered a mild warmth, possibly through musks or soft resins, creating a lingering yet understated foundation that balanced the airy freshness above. The overall effect would have been elegant, sophisticated, and quietly uplifting, evoking a serene garden stroll rather than a loud or overpowering fragrance.
In short, Phlomis Asplenia would have smelled like a gentle, sunlit green garden with a soft herbal-floral character, fresh, sophisticated, and intellectually cultivated—perfectly reflecting the tastes of mid-19th-century aristocratic women.
Bottle:
Presented in the carre flacon.
Petit courrier des dames: Journal des modes, 1848:
"By creating the Château des Fleurs, inventing the Jardin d’Hiver, and making flowers fashionable in all the salons of Paris, the trend of perfumery simultaneously returned—after having been somewhat neglected due to the overuse of amber, musk, and vetiver. Yet the perfumes that reappear today bear no resemblance to those bourgeois emanations of old-fashioned coquetry. At Guerlain, 11 Rue de la Paix, however, belongs the right to this thoroughly modern renewal, offering compositions more delicate, more suave, more gentle on the nerves, and more voluptuous to the sense of smell than any other.Ladies of good society are recognized by these perfumes, just as the high lineage of noble families is recognized by their coats of arms; and when a lock of hair flutters near you, when a magnificent handkerchief falls beside you, or when a fresh, coquettish glove happens to brush near your lips, you can judge by the fragrance emanating from that hair, that handkerchief, or those gloves whether the woman to whom they belong has received at Guerlain the mark of good taste, fashion, and refinement.New odors composed by Guerlain:
- Extrait de Lolium agriphyllum
- Extrait de Phlomis asplenia,
- Extrait d'Azalea melaleuca
- Extrait de Cyparisse Elaidon
- Extrait d'Hyemalis anthelia
- Extrait de Cytise sylvaria
- Extrait d'Anthemia nobilis
- Extrait de Cyperus ruber
- Extrait de Tilia micropluilla
- Extrait d'Hymenaea nitida
- Extrait de Mimosa fragrans
- Extrait de Caryophilus album
- Extrait d'Amyris Polyolens
- Extrait de Polyanthe suaveolens
- Extrait de Lathyrus odorans
- Extrait d'Ocymum dulce
By bringing to light these entirely new perfumes, Guerlain points out that they can only be found at home, and recommends to be on guard against the imitations that one will try to make."
