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Also known as Fall Leaves
A dry-to-damp leafy forest smell associated with fallen leaves, cool air and seasonal decay.
Autumn leaves smell leafy and earthy, moving between a dry, papery crackle and a damp, mellow sweetness. EDITORIAL
Links SmellBook records for this entry: where you meet it and related smells. EDITORIAL links are chosen by SmellBook editors. Nothing here is a ranking.
QUESTIONS ABOUT AUTUMN LEAVES
Autumn leaves smell leafy and earthy, moving between a dry, papery crackle and a damp, mellow sweetness. Fresh fallen leaves carry a faint green bitterness, while older layers deepen into soft rot and woodland soil. The smell is moderate, spread out rather than sharp, and it shifts strongly with the weather: crisp on cold dry days, heavier and rounder after rain, sometimes close to tea or tobacco.
It is met on park paths, along forest edges and in gardens where leaves gather under hedges and trees. Raking, kicking through piles or walking a woodland route on a cool afternoon in autumn brings it up most clearly.
Typical settings: park, forest path, garden.
SmellBook links it to 3 place pages: see them in Connections.
One VERIFIED scientific claim from one published source is recorded for this entry: What fallen leaf litter releases. This claim says only what its source supports, in the scope shown with it.
The scientific study behind this evidence is chemistry or emission work, not a study of how the smell is perceived.
Autumn Leaves is a seasonal environment profile whose moisture level strongly changes perception.
Words that are easy to mix up: What is the difference between earthy and mineral?
No historical source or heritage record is linked to this entry yet.
Answers marked EDITORIAL are written by SmellBook editors to describe the experience and add no scientific fact. Answers marked VERIFIED point to claims on published sources, checked against each source's own summary where one was available (each claim's page says how); what each claim supports is in its own text and scope.
Scientific evidence · 1 claim
What fallen leaf litter releases
The litter of five deciduous tree species released more than 70 volatile organic compounds, a mixture very different from the essential oils distilled from autumn leaves collected on the trees; the authors suggest most come from the microorganisms decomposing the litter.
A qualitative analysis of litter emissions; the microbial origin is the authors' suggestion, and the study does not describe smell.
How this was found: Emissions or air measured. What a material, product or place releases into the air was measured, usually without assessing odour. Source: primary study; material-emission work.
Valery Isidorov & Maria Jdanova
DOI 10.1016/s0045-6535(02)00074-7Links chosen by SmellBook editors, not a ranking.
Associations can vary strongly by person, place and culture.
PATHS FROM HERE
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WHERE THIS SMELL APPEARS
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FOR RESEARCHERS AND EDITORS
Identity, revision history, corrections and how to cite Autumn Leaves.
CULTURAL: This entry's associations depend on context, language, memory or culture; its description and smell words are editorial. It says nothing about research or historical evidence; evidence for this entry is shown separately: VERIFIED.
How this entry is identified and named, for citing it or matching it with other records.
SmellBook SB-0107 — Autumn Leavessmellbook:smell:autumn-leaveshttps://smellbook.com/smells/autumn-leavesSmellBook. (2026). Autumn Leaves (revision 4, 2026-10-06). SmellBook Public Atlas. smellbook:smell:autumn-leaves. https://smellbook.com/smells/autumn-leaves@misc{smellbook_autumn_leaves_r4,
author = {{SmellBook}},
title = {Autumn Leaves},
year = {2026},
note = {SmellBook Public Atlas, revision 4, 2026-10-06, smellbook:smell:autumn-leaves},
url = {https://smellbook.com/smells/autumn-leaves}
}TY - ENCYC ID - smellbook-autumn-leaves-r4 TI - Autumn Leaves AU - SmellBook T2 - SmellBook Public Atlas PY - 2026 DA - 2026/10/06 ET - revision 4 UR - https://smellbook.com/smells/autumn-leaves N1 - SB-0107; smellbook:smell:autumn-leaves; resolver https://smellbook.com/id/smell/autumn-leaves ER -
The citation names revision 4 of 2026-10-06, so a reader can tell exactly which version was cited. Citing records what was read; it does not grant a licence.
Autumn Leaves is a seasonal environment profile whose moisture level strongly changes perception.
Editorial description expanded to answer what it smells like and where you meet it; independently reviewed.
Created 2026-09-22 · Updated 2026-10-06Dataset history In the SmellBook dataset since the first of three dataset releases of 2026-09-30.
No correction notices published for this entry. Corrections policyEVIDENCE MATTERS
SmellBook separates cultural association, community perception, verified evidence, prediction and experimental relationships rather than presenting them as the same thing. Read the evidence guide ↗ See the evidence coverage report ↗