treemoss

English

Etymology

From tree +‎ moss.

Noun

treemoss (countable and uncountable, plural treemosses)

1. Unprocessed mosses and lichens found growing on trees, often used commercially in fragrances.
   • 1825, Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, Richard Thomas Gore, A Manual of the Elements of Natural History, page 175:

     There are but few plants, also , (such as perhaps, the Yew, Savine, and most treemosses, ) which do not serve for the abode and support of known Insects.

   • 2013, D. L. J. Opdyke, Monographs on Fragrance Raw Materials, page 711:

     The principal constituents of treemoss are lichen acids, some of which are atranorin, furfuracinic acid and chloroatranorin (Guenther, 1952).

   • 2017, Steffen Arctander, Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, page 451:

     Treemoss products are generally used to “cut” true oakmoss in order to reduce the cost.

   • 2021, Anton C. de Groot, Monographs in Contact Allergy, page 268:

     Of chemicals relevant for sensitization, a typical industrial treemoss absolute oil (which is also an extract) may contain approximately 0.36% atranol, 0.22% chloratranol and 5-6% dehydroabietic acid and other resin acids (including the allergenic 7-oxodehydroabietic acid), but undetectable levels of atranorin and chloroatranorin, as these are easily degraded into atranol and chloroatranol (20).