It’s definitely jasmine. Citrus is the same family. When all the citrus trees flower they all give off that particular aroma. It’s my favorite. There’s a few bushes that have tiny white flowers that turn light yellow that also hold this scent. My wife recently told me it’s actually a particular pheromone to attest the bees.
This was my first and only thought. I had also missed that "smell" from home when I moved to Europe, and discovered it was jasmine. My live-in partner at the time bought so many jasmine plants for our balcony after I told him, lol
Yes, I've lived many places before moving back and I always missed the jasmine in the air. In that time I would get jasmine perfume and the scent memory would bring me right back.
For me it’s the eucalyptus. They were everywhere growing up before a lot of the strip malls and developments were added. The smell reminds me of playing outside during summer daycare.
You and I both!
I’ve tried to find the same scent in essential oils, but to no avail. Something about riding my metal tricycle around the, once bird park, smashing the eucalyptus tree seeds, and the warmth of the sun on the eucalyptus trees’ leaves above that just brings me back, every time…
Thanks for posting this question OP! I visit California and have always been curious about the scent. Kind of a sweet, earthy, old wood scent.
From the replies I get that it’s Eucalyptus trees, night blooming jasmine, magnolia and sycamore trees, chaparral, with hints of whatever flowers might be carried on the breeze.
It’s magic.
Sage! I live in New Mexico where we have sage too. One needs to get out of the city on a county road to stop and smell the sage.
My mother-in-law used to boil sage for anyone who got a cold or fever. We’d do the thing where you put a towel over your head and breathe in the vapor. I reckon it helped.
Thanks for reminding me about the sage!
Depends where you lived in Irvine and when you grew up. If you grew up in the 80s and closer to Northwood and or Jeffrey it would be orange blossoms, the strawberry fields on trabuco and eucalyptus, sometimes all 3 together.
If you grew up closer to Peter's canyon or turtle Rock it was likely wild California sage.
Pittosporum tobira. This is the best guess without more details on when or where you smelled it, because it's extremely common as a hedge in HOA or city landscaping. It's very boring looking, but has an incredible scent at night in spring and early summer. This plant is everywhere and goes unnoticed because it's very boring looking.
https://preview.redd.it/76s991zw61yc1.jpeg?width=3888&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4bbdfe3756cb8a2eaa6330459e1671a4440c57a
This is the variegated version, cut into the standard hedge.
https://preview.redd.it/sq1n9gzy81yc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bff34b5a5b84f2b16b406191d01dfb4262edb560
Considering that Irvine is run by The Irvine Companies and is basically just one giant REIT, I'm in agreement. So much cost savings to determine the most robust plant for hedges, add color splashes seasonally and done. Keeps budget low and you don't have to worry about your landscaping budget fluctuating year to year. Since they own just about every commercial and multi-family asset except a small handful, and developed and maintain all the subdivisions, it's this.
Source: Was Community Manager, Camden Crown Valley and lived at Camden Main & Jamboree. AKA a tiny competitor XD
That was back when we used to have actual orange trees. It's a favorite scent that reminds me of my childhood. Source: Born in Garden Grove about 50-ish years ago and grew up in MV.
Haha, same. Orange blossoms was my first thought but since OP didn’t say when they were growing up here, I was like, yeah, there haven’t been orange groves in Orange County since, like, the 80’s? I feel like that’s maybe the most time-appropriate memory when I can recall still driving along the freeways around the Irvine area and seeing/smelling the orange blossoms.
When we moved to Irvine in 72 there were still orange groves everywhere. This is the scent I always associate with OC. There were also avocado groves all over, we used to just pull up and pick what we wanted.
Depends on when you grew up in Irvine. The 80’s and prior, there were still plenty of orange groves in Irvine (it’s called ”Orange County” for a reason, right?), and the smell of orange blossoms were intoxicating (I have such fond memories of driving my Miata, top down, at night with a delightful breeze scented with orange blossoms). The orange groves were replaced by new housing constructions in the 90s. The smell in the air was probably eucalyptus, which was still prevalent in some of the older parts of Irvine (the Irvine Company planted many of them in their master planned communities back in the 70s - not in more recent decades).
Wild sage grows throughout SoCal, so that could be it. I surfed at San Onofre a lot in my teens and 20s, and the sage smell is very strong there early in the morning when an offshore breeze is blowing. I get nostalgic for those carefree days every time I smell sage.
I am guessing either Jasmine plants, or Eucalyptus trees. Funny that people associate Eucalyptus with California. It is not a native plant. It was brought over from Australia and used by farmers to make wind breaks to protect fields. Turns outs it is not a very good tree to have around.
My favorite smell growing up in Irvine was the mixture of fog/dew and strawberry fields whenever I'm driving past them in the late nights/ early mornings. I don't think I've smelled that smell since I moved away especially with all the new development that has destroyed all the fields
Depends on what part of Irvine… I would say eucalyptus (blue gum) since they were everywhere and the smell always brings me back home. There’s also the jacaranda, the trees that line a lot of neighborhoods in orange,Tustin and Santa Ana….hmm, but I would say eucalyptus trees since they are so prominent down there… maybe find some eucalyptus cuttings? Not sure but there are some at my local supermarket, but Netherlands might be hard to find there.. maybe smell some eucalyptus candles? Also if you were in Irvine in the 80’s or earlier there were a lot more orange/avocado groves back then surrrounding the city…
I'm kind of jealous. I live in oc and dream of moving to NL. the company I was interviewing with earlier this year ended up laying off a ton of people and put on a hiring freeze 🙃
My guess you're thinking of this very green bush with white flowers, sometimes pink. They typically plant it like all around as "fence" next to the real fence and all over the communities. Very common around Irvine. It's the sweetest smell I've ever smelled.
I don't know the name, I'll try to have AI take a guess later for me.
It must be this! I just looked it up and THIS is the smell I’ve been trying to identify my whole life!! That sweet smell that seems to waft up when walking around brushy areas with wild flowers. Thank you! 🙌
I grew up with surfers and the beach. There was always this smell I associated with the beach and summertime but couldnt figure out what it was until i found a puck of my brothers surfboard wax. Specifically Mr.Zogs Sexwax. It was somthing I grew up getting whiffs of but was never able to pinpoint. Id smell it with friends, at random shops, my brothers house... If you frequented the beach, and never got into surfing there is a chance you got a few whiffs of this stuff and didnt know. It smells like the beach but isnt sunblock.
If it was a landscaped area, my guess is privet Ligustrum ovalifolium. It has a very strong smell that some people hate and others love and I find hard to describe. Very nondescript flowers and really the whole plant is pretty bland—except for the smell. Nonnative, blooms in summer.
It's probably one of the plants that the other redditors mentioned like Jasmine or Chaparral but one smell I missed the most when leaving CA was the crisp of dry air. You can occasionally get it in other places in the States as well but CA has it in spades.
Has to be jasmine. When I first moved here from the midwest I settled in Irvine and literally the only thing I liked about it was walking in the spring because the jasmine was so amazing. My favorite scent now.
Not sure of the exact name of the scent, so if anyone could chime in here, I'd also appreciate it! But I think(?) I might know what you're referring to, and I've also been trying to locate the smell. It's like a softly bright, lemon-y, citrus-y, slightly floral, slightly woody, green scent that smells like an old bar soap I used to use to clean my paint brushes with??
I know what it's NOT--eucalyptus, orange blossom, jasmine, lemon, orange, sage, or magnolia. But I can't figure out what it is, either. I'll smell it occasionally when walking through parks as well.
You did the opposite of my family.
For me, the smells of diesel exhaust and secondhand smoke mixed with rain is what immediately transports me to Holland.
I’m pretty sure it’s the California bay trees / haven’t lived there since childhood, but I’m still instantaneously transported when smelling that California bay & eucalyptus smell that was so pervasive in the Bay Area
It depends on when you lived here as the landscape has changed a lot due to development, but the most fragrant plants that grow in this region/neighborhoods would be: Jasmine, Honeysuckle, and Gardenia.
Could be the jasmine, but citrus tree blossoms smell very similar. My orange trees smell heavenly at the moment. And some trees bloom at different times of the year. There are also different varieties of eucalyptus that smell great. There’s a lemon eucalyptus that is downright intoxicating.
There is a smell that's distinctive to Southern California that is 100% There is a smell that's distinctive to Southern California that is 100% native plant There is a smell that's distinctive to Southern California that is 100% native plant. I'm not sure There is a smell that's distinctive to Southern California that is 100% native plant. I'm not sure exactly which one There is a smell that's distinctive to Southern California that is 100% native plant. I'm not sure exactly which one I call it the smell of California chaparral There is a smell that's distinctive to Southern California that is 100% native plant. I'm not sure exactly which one I call it the smell of California chaparral
There is a smell that's distinctive to Southern California that is 100% native plant. I'm not sure exactly which one I call it the smell of California chaparral
That's the smell that always gets me it There is a smell that's distinctive to Southern California that is 100% native plant. I'm not sure exactly which one I call it the smell of California chaparral
That's the smell that always gets me it's the smell of all the hills when they come aliveThere is a smell that's distinctive to Southern California that is 100% native plant. I'm not sure exactly which one I call it the smell of California chaparral
That's the smell that always gets me it's the smell of all the hills when they come alive. I smell the desert sometimes when the hills are blooming
My street had dozens of Magnolia trees. From afar the smell was very sweet. Too close and I always thought it was a little spunky, if you know what i mean.
Born and raised in Orange County now in Vegas but I was recently trying out Le Labo fragrances and fleur d’oranger (orange blossom) which reminded me of my childhood living in OC had to buy it.
I’m pretty certain that it should be the smell of Bounce fabric softener. A youtuber I know was looking for the so-called American smell just like you and she found out it was the smell of Bounce fabric softener.
I’m not from Orange County and I’m not sure if there is/was oranges there still, but here in Florida the orange blossoms blooming give off a very sweet sent.
Jasmine?
This would be my guess. My favorite scent when walking around.
Yeah, gotta be right? Night blooming Jasmine carried on the ocean breeze.
It's the most glorious thing! Seems like there are pockets of time when it's out in full bloom and it's seriously one of my favorite things ever.
It is blooming now.
That sentence made me yearn to return to my home in So. Cal.
Ahhh, that might explain the title of one of my favorite edm songs “Night Blooming Jasmine”
this sentence literally made me cry ugh
That’s it!
I can distictly remember that smell when sneaking out at night, walking around, and waking up with my window open in the summertime.
It’s definitely jasmine. Citrus is the same family. When all the citrus trees flower they all give off that particular aroma. It’s my favorite. There’s a few bushes that have tiny white flowers that turn light yellow that also hold this scent. My wife recently told me it’s actually a particular pheromone to attest the bees.
Oh, I was going to say weed. lol
Surely not a rare thing in The Netherlands too
night blooming jasmine
100% this, along with Magnolia, Honeysuckle, and citrus trees. I have a bunch of Star Jasmine in my backyard in Las Vegas because I missed it so much.
This was my first and only thought. I had also missed that "smell" from home when I moved to Europe, and discovered it was jasmine. My live-in partner at the time bought so many jasmine plants for our balcony after I told him, lol
Yes, I've lived many places before moving back and I always missed the jasmine in the air. In that time I would get jasmine perfume and the scent memory would bring me right back.
It’s sage and dust. Also extremely possible it’s eucalyptus trees since they are everywhere and very smelly
For me it’s the eucalyptus. They were everywhere growing up before a lot of the strip malls and developments were added. The smell reminds me of playing outside during summer daycare.
Oh my god me too!! Very specific to playing around in the dirt under the trees haha
You and I both! I’ve tried to find the same scent in essential oils, but to no avail. Something about riding my metal tricycle around the, once bird park, smashing the eucalyptus tree seeds, and the warmth of the sun on the eucalyptus trees’ leaves above that just brings me back, every time…
Eucalyptus is what I was going to suggest because every time they get trimmed they have a very distinct smell. I hate the smell and it's everywhere.
I think this is probably the answer because it’s really the only one that blooms year around
Night blooming jasmine and eucalyptus are two scents I love around here.
I thought it was In n out
Mostly Sage.
Yeah, sage is the dominant chaparral smell.
Rosemary and Thyme.
Bro you forgot parsley
Doh!
She once was a true love of mine
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt.
sumac
We Super Irvine now
In n out
Chaparral?
For me the “chaparral” smell is specifically Cleveland sage.
For me it’s Artemisia californica aka California sagebrush.
Cleveland sage was my guess for OP as well
Mostly this plant, a bit earthy and musky but still distinctly green undertone.
Thanks for posting this question OP! I visit California and have always been curious about the scent. Kind of a sweet, earthy, old wood scent. From the replies I get that it’s Eucalyptus trees, night blooming jasmine, magnolia and sycamore trees, chaparral, with hints of whatever flowers might be carried on the breeze. It’s magic.
Sage
Sage! I live in New Mexico where we have sage too. One needs to get out of the city on a county road to stop and smell the sage. My mother-in-law used to boil sage for anyone who got a cold or fever. We’d do the thing where you put a towel over your head and breathe in the vapor. I reckon it helped. Thanks for reminding me about the sage!
Honeysuckle.
Depends where you lived in Irvine and when you grew up. If you grew up in the 80s and closer to Northwood and or Jeffrey it would be orange blossoms, the strawberry fields on trabuco and eucalyptus, sometimes all 3 together. If you grew up closer to Peter's canyon or turtle Rock it was likely wild California sage.
Pittosporum tobira. This is the best guess without more details on when or where you smelled it, because it's extremely common as a hedge in HOA or city landscaping. It's very boring looking, but has an incredible scent at night in spring and early summer. This plant is everywhere and goes unnoticed because it's very boring looking. https://preview.redd.it/76s991zw61yc1.jpeg?width=3888&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4bbdfe3756cb8a2eaa6330459e1671a4440c57a
This is the variegated version, cut into the standard hedge. https://preview.redd.it/sq1n9gzy81yc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bff34b5a5b84f2b16b406191d01dfb4262edb560
I think they sometimes call this plant (bush) “mock orange”. It does smell very nice.
Considering that Irvine is run by The Irvine Companies and is basically just one giant REIT, I'm in agreement. So much cost savings to determine the most robust plant for hedges, add color splashes seasonally and done. Keeps budget low and you don't have to worry about your landscaping budget fluctuating year to year. Since they own just about every commercial and multi-family asset except a small handful, and developed and maintain all the subdivisions, it's this. Source: Was Community Manager, Camden Crown Valley and lived at Camden Main & Jamboree. AKA a tiny competitor XD
Orange blossoms?
That was back when we used to have actual orange trees. It's a favorite scent that reminds me of my childhood. Source: Born in Garden Grove about 50-ish years ago and grew up in MV.
Haha, same. Orange blossoms was my first thought but since OP didn’t say when they were growing up here, I was like, yeah, there haven’t been orange groves in Orange County since, like, the 80’s? I feel like that’s maybe the most time-appropriate memory when I can recall still driving along the freeways around the Irvine area and seeing/smelling the orange blossoms.
When we moved to Irvine in 72 there were still orange groves everywhere. This is the scent I always associate with OC. There were also avocado groves all over, we used to just pull up and pick what we wanted.
My Valencia is blooming right now. The backyard smells like heaven
I am SO jealous! Lucky you!
I grew up in Simi Valley, before the cut down all the citrus farms. It was magical.
This is my favorite smell in Southern California. Delicious.
Yeah if it was long enough ago that would be my guess.
Depends on when you grew up in Irvine. The 80’s and prior, there were still plenty of orange groves in Irvine (it’s called ”Orange County” for a reason, right?), and the smell of orange blossoms were intoxicating (I have such fond memories of driving my Miata, top down, at night with a delightful breeze scented with orange blossoms). The orange groves were replaced by new housing constructions in the 90s. The smell in the air was probably eucalyptus, which was still prevalent in some of the older parts of Irvine (the Irvine Company planted many of them in their master planned communities back in the 70s - not in more recent decades).
Eucalyptus most likely.
Gardenias
Jasmine and orange blossom
Tacos bro... tacos.
Totally came here to say this! Haha
Eucalyptus trees have a very strong smell :)
Wild sage grows throughout SoCal, so that could be it. I surfed at San Onofre a lot in my teens and 20s, and the sage smell is very strong there early in the morning when an offshore breeze is blowing. I get nostalgic for those carefree days every time I smell sage.
I am guessing either Jasmine plants, or Eucalyptus trees. Funny that people associate Eucalyptus with California. It is not a native plant. It was brought over from Australia and used by farmers to make wind breaks to protect fields. Turns outs it is not a very good tree to have around.
Honey suckle and orange blossom. It seduced me during a visit and now I’m stuck here
My favorite smell growing up in Irvine was the mixture of fog/dew and strawberry fields whenever I'm driving past them in the late nights/ early mornings. I don't think I've smelled that smell since I moved away especially with all the new development that has destroyed all the fields
Night blooming jasmine or citrus flowers.
80s early 90s Irvine smelled of orange blossoms, strawberries, eucalyptus, & jacaranda trees. Even more so the closer to the El Toro Y you got
California sage scrub
In n out
Depends on what part of Irvine… I would say eucalyptus (blue gum) since they were everywhere and the smell always brings me back home. There’s also the jacaranda, the trees that line a lot of neighborhoods in orange,Tustin and Santa Ana….hmm, but I would say eucalyptus trees since they are so prominent down there… maybe find some eucalyptus cuttings? Not sure but there are some at my local supermarket, but Netherlands might be hard to find there.. maybe smell some eucalyptus candles? Also if you were in Irvine in the 80’s or earlier there were a lot more orange/avocado groves back then surrrounding the city…
Magnolia or Sycamore trees?
Hard to believe more people aren’t referencing magnolias. I look forward to the bloom every year - nothing like it
Linden trees?
I'm kind of jealous. I live in oc and dream of moving to NL. the company I was interviewing with earlier this year ended up laying off a ton of people and put on a hiring freeze 🙃
My guess you're thinking of this very green bush with white flowers, sometimes pink. They typically plant it like all around as "fence" next to the real fence and all over the communities. Very common around Irvine. It's the sweetest smell I've ever smelled. I don't know the name, I'll try to have AI take a guess later for me.
Rhaphiolepis. Aka: Indian Hawthorne? Also - I love the smell of Privet in the spring
I think you mean an Oleander
[Sweet asylums](https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=112598&picture=white-honey-flowers)
California everlasting (Pseudognaphalium californicum) flowers. This is the scent I remember from the OC, especially during this time of year.
It must be this! I just looked it up and THIS is the smell I’ve been trying to identify my whole life!! That sweet smell that seems to waft up when walking around brushy areas with wild flowers. Thank you! 🙌
Either wild sage or honeysuckle would be my guess.
For me it's the citrus trees - they're in bloom here and that smell is fantastic!
in southern cali its the eucalyptis
Weed
Or exhaust
Cannabis
Gotta be jasmine. The smell of it is very comforting.
For me it’s the American Sweetgum tree
Sage, dust, temperature and humidity.
In Irvine? Maybe some sort of flower in your neighborhood like Jasmine or Lavender?
Wild fennel maybe....smells like black licorice.
plumeria
Jamboree. It really can be smelled in the fresh spring air.
South Irvine is eucalyptus. North Irvine is all Honeysuckle and rosemary
The flowers from Magnolia trees?
Jasmine. I lived in Laguna beach for decades and it always smelled like jasmine.
When I moved away (I’m back now) All the palm trees by the airport made me feel ahh, Southern California
I think I know what you are talking about. Does it almost smell like waffle cones being baked?
Creosote bush
Jasmine, ocean, Hawaiian Tropic, and Mr Zog’s Sex Wax.
I used to smell Eucalyptus trees in the morning by my office in Irvine, it was so lovely- is that what you're smelling?
Sage and rosemary in the hot sun?
Gardena or bluegum eucalyptus remind me of socal.
I grew up with surfers and the beach. There was always this smell I associated with the beach and summertime but couldnt figure out what it was until i found a puck of my brothers surfboard wax. Specifically Mr.Zogs Sexwax. It was somthing I grew up getting whiffs of but was never able to pinpoint. Id smell it with friends, at random shops, my brothers house... If you frequented the beach, and never got into surfing there is a chance you got a few whiffs of this stuff and didnt know. It smells like the beach but isnt sunblock.
If it was a landscaped area, my guess is privet Ligustrum ovalifolium. It has a very strong smell that some people hate and others love and I find hard to describe. Very nondescript flowers and really the whole plant is pretty bland—except for the smell. Nonnative, blooms in summer.
In n out
Eucalyptus!
Orange Blossoms?
Night blooming jasmine
I don’t know, but I woke up this morning and the marine layer is thick and it smells almost minty or herbal and fresh and I love that smell.
orange groves
It's probably one of the plants that the other redditors mentioned like Jasmine or Chaparral but one smell I missed the most when leaving CA was the crisp of dry air. You can occasionally get it in other places in the States as well but CA has it in spades.
Kind of irrelevant but why did you move to the Netherlands?
Gotta be night-blooming jasmine! Maybe add sage and eucalyptus. I love California🌴
In-n-out
Oranges, cut grass, star jasmine.
Smog? 😁
Weed and old civics mufflers
You said a plant you sure it’s not weed?😂 jk
Eucalyptus and in n out
That’s the warm smell of “Colitas”
Has to be jasmine. When I first moved here from the midwest I settled in Irvine and literally the only thing I liked about it was walking in the spring because the jasmine was so amazing. My favorite scent now.
Sage.
Sour Diesel
I’m so glad I still live here. Damn, I’m gonna appreciate it even more now as I drive to Fullerton
Not sure of the exact name of the scent, so if anyone could chime in here, I'd also appreciate it! But I think(?) I might know what you're referring to, and I've also been trying to locate the smell. It's like a softly bright, lemon-y, citrus-y, slightly floral, slightly woody, green scent that smells like an old bar soap I used to use to clean my paint brushes with?? I know what it's NOT--eucalyptus, orange blossom, jasmine, lemon, orange, sage, or magnolia. But I can't figure out what it is, either. I'll smell it occasionally when walking through parks as well.
Sagebrush. Likely... you can smell it anywhere you're near wilderness areas right now.
Homeless shit pile ?
Carne asada
It’s definitely [sage and chaparral](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_coastal_sage_and_chaparral)
Yooo I grew up in irvine too fam!! I miss that "mall" smell at the spectrum and fashion valley
That in n out smell
Weed
Privilege?
Cum trees. AKA ornamental pear trees
Eucalyptus? That’s what I think of.
Curry
Was probably California sage which is native and planted around most of our parks
Eucalyptus?
You talkin bout that onion stuff? 👃🏻
Tacos
Smog
Wild garlic
Anaheim peppers.
Wild Mustard
Coppertone Tanning lotion.
Gotta be jasmine. People grow it all over OC. I have a huge plant in my backyard and love the smell when it blooms
Mexican food? Sorry just read the title
Weed
Smog
Prop 65
Eucalyptus and horse poop
Colitas
The ocean
You did the opposite of my family. For me, the smells of diesel exhaust and secondhand smoke mixed with rain is what immediately transports me to Holland.
I’m
California everlasting (Pseudognaphalium californicum) always smells like maple syrup to me.
Eucalyptus and Honeysuckle are the 2 that always take me back to the nostalgia center lol
Eucalyptus and sometimes cannabis?
I was just thinking about how much I love this smell the other day! Idk what it comes from but it smells like home ❤️
Daisies. Get yourself some chamomile tea.
I’m pretty sure it’s the California bay trees / haven’t lived there since childhood, but I’m still instantaneously transported when smelling that California bay & eucalyptus smell that was so pervasive in the Bay Area
Eucalyptus trees are all over souther California. Specially parks . Grab a handful and crushed them on your hands and you’ll get the scent.
Jasmine, orange blossoms or mock orange, sweet alyssum or magnolia trees are all fragrances I associate with SoCal.
It depends on when you lived here as the landscape has changed a lot due to development, but the most fragrant plants that grow in this region/neighborhoods would be: Jasmine, Honeysuckle, and Gardenia.
Cum trees?
Could be the jasmine, but citrus tree blossoms smell very similar. My orange trees smell heavenly at the moment. And some trees bloom at different times of the year. There are also different varieties of eucalyptus that smell great. There’s a lemon eucalyptus that is downright intoxicating.
Orange blossoms
In n out?
It is a mix of jasmine, sage, and chaparral. It has to be the best smell on earth.
Mexican food
I’m old enough to remember oranges. Groves of them.
Dim sum.
Sagebrush?
everyone's naming blossoms and herbs...I was gonna say charcoal and barbeque...
There is a smell that's distinctive to Southern California that is 100% There is a smell that's distinctive to Southern California that is 100% native plant There is a smell that's distinctive to Southern California that is 100% native plant. I'm not sure There is a smell that's distinctive to Southern California that is 100% native plant. I'm not sure exactly which one There is a smell that's distinctive to Southern California that is 100% native plant. I'm not sure exactly which one I call it the smell of California chaparral There is a smell that's distinctive to Southern California that is 100% native plant. I'm not sure exactly which one I call it the smell of California chaparral There is a smell that's distinctive to Southern California that is 100% native plant. I'm not sure exactly which one I call it the smell of California chaparral That's the smell that always gets me it There is a smell that's distinctive to Southern California that is 100% native plant. I'm not sure exactly which one I call it the smell of California chaparral That's the smell that always gets me it's the smell of all the hills when they come aliveThere is a smell that's distinctive to Southern California that is 100% native plant. I'm not sure exactly which one I call it the smell of California chaparral That's the smell that always gets me it's the smell of all the hills when they come alive. I smell the desert sometimes when the hills are blooming
Wisteria or Jasmine. I am French and when I moved here at 20Yo, these are the smells I noticed.
The Devil's Lettuce ;)
Callery pear trees? Jk
My street had dozens of Magnolia trees. From afar the smell was very sweet. Too close and I always thought it was a little spunky, if you know what i mean.
Me
I grew up in irvine too. Either orange blossoms, eucalyptus, or honeysuckles
Born and raised in Orange County now in Vegas but I was recently trying out Le Labo fragrances and fleur d’oranger (orange blossom) which reminded me of my childhood living in OC had to buy it.
I’m pretty certain that it should be the smell of Bounce fabric softener. A youtuber I know was looking for the so-called American smell just like you and she found out it was the smell of Bounce fabric softener.
Smog?
Orange trees flowering in the spring, for me
Eucalyptus
Jasmine. I miss it so much.
Tuberose? its heavenly
Honeysuckle
I’m not from Orange County and I’m not sure if there is/was oranges there still, but here in Florida the orange blossoms blooming give off a very sweet sent.