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Resedaceae
Mignonette
Reseda odorata
Humble worth that surpasses appearance.
- Family
- Resedaceae
- Genus
- Reseda
- Native to
- North Africa, Mediterranean
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- annual
- Height
- 30–60 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun to part shade
- Soil
- alkaline, well-drained
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 3–9 (annual)
- Lifespan
- annual
Did you know
- Napoleon sent mignonette seeds to Josephine from Egypt, sparking a fragrance craze across Europe.
- In Victorian flower language, mignonette meant 'your qualities surpass your charms' — beautiful scent, plain looks.
- The tiny flowers are visually unremarkable, but their sweet, raspberry-like fragrance is legendarily powerful.
- It was once grown in window boxes along Parisian boulevards specifically to perfume the streets below.
- Bees produce a distinctively aromatic honey from mignonette that was prized in 19th-century London markets.
Color meanings
Greenish-Yellow
your qualities surpass your charm