How the rose got its iconic fragrance

The romantic smell of a blooming rose partly stems from a blend of volatile compounds called terpenes. Junzhong Shang at the Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan, China, and his colleagues, have determined how roses make one key terpene: citronellol, which produces a grassy, lemony scent¹.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-02424-3

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