Oil of Reseda (Mignonette).
The delightful odor of this plant which formerly could only be fixed by maceration in fat may be readily prepared by extraction with petroleum ether. Yet special precautions should be taken that nothing but portions of the flowers, carefully picked off, and no green leaves are extracted. The oil thus obtained has a yellow color and a disagreeable odor which changes into the well-known pleasant smell of the flower when highly diluted with alcohol.