Do you have to crush lavendar to get its fragrance?

I heard that lavender has a soft fragrance but you really get the aroma when it is put under pressure or crushed. Why ?

Do you have to crush lavendar to get its fragrance?
No, but crushing them will release the oils faster and maake it stronger
Reply:You dont have to crush the plant to get a scent, you can just rough it up a little, brush your hands over the plant and it will deposit the oils on your skin. You can also snip short pieces and put them in a bag to freshen your drawers or closet.



Crushing the leaves will release the oils and give you a much stronger aroma.
Reply:You get to smell something only if it is a gas that is soluble in the lining of your nose. Which is why ammonia is so strong smelling. And perfumes all come in liquid form, never as a powder. They are known as volatile liquids that can turn easily into a gas, dissolve in your nose linings and then you get the smell.



So, you can smell lavender if you wave it under your nose but only faintly. Its fragrant oils float out of its pores (called stomata) into the air and into your nose. But crush the flower and you expose the oils inside to the air. No need to waft out of pores now, but the essential oils can burst out from the cuts into the air around your nose.



Aaaaah! Heavenly. Lavender is one of my favourite scents.



It's the same reason for smelling perfume very faintly when you hold a bottle of the perfume, but when you pull out the stopper, you really get it strong.