Rosemary Oil Morocco

Rosmarinus officinalis is a dense and aromatic shrub native to the Mediterranean region. Its evergreen foliage consists of small, needle-like leaves that are dark green on top and silvery underneath. The flowers are small and vary in colour from purple to blue to almost white. Its leafy stems form bushes whose flowering tops signal the start of the harvest (generally eight to nine months after planting).

In Morocco, rosemary grows wild on the slopes and plateaus of the Atlas mountains in the north of the country. The stems are cut with a sickle from May to November by shepherds and Moroccan farmers. The rosemary stems are dried before distillation. Later, full sacks of dried rosemary stems are transported to the distillery, often by pack mule. In addition, travelling stills are set up near the harvesting areas during the campaigns. Distillation of rosemary in Morocco is still small-scale and traditional. The chemotypes of rosemary vary according to where the plant grows. The essential oil from Morocco has a cineole chemotype.