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Marilyn H.S. Light
Copyright 1999
Orchids appeal to us in so many different ways. They challenge the grower's art and provide visual inspiration. The varied perfumes of orchids can stir emotions, inducing a vivid recall of a past scene related to a particular fragrance. We first relate orchid fragrances to substances with which we are already familiar such as rose, hyacinth, jasmine or cinnamon. With more sampling experience and with a good nose, we begin to relate scents to particular orchids or groups of orchids. Our sense of smell is more strongly linked to emotion than any other of our senses. A scent memory can be linked to a visual image such as a pleasant social event, a visit to a friend's greenhouse or to an image of a particular flower. Once we smell a particular fragrance, the signal it invokes may be remembered for a very long time.
I grow many colorful orchids but the ones that appeal to me most are those with fragrance. The spicy fragrance of Encyclia radiata conjures up visions of summer's warmth even in the midst of winter. A delicate rose-scented Cattleya makes me smile with happy memories of the same plant blooming for the first time and capturing a 1st prize ribbon at a show. Everyone will have their favorite fragrances and memories that emerge in response to the scents.
Not all orchids are strongly scented and not all appeal equally. Some orchids have a musty or mushroomy smell that may appeal to pollinators but not to the human nose. To some persons, heavy fragrance or a particular scent can be overwhelming while to others the scent is not at all bothersome or even not detectable. The ability to detect fragrance has been shown to diminish as we age.
Fragrance intensity can vary with temperature, the time of day and with humidity. All these factors affect production and volatility of the fragrance components. Some orchids such as Epidendrum difforme are moderately fragrant throughout the day with a peak at night while others such as Epi. falcatum change fragrance quality and intensity as the day progresses from the delicate, haunting scent of jasmine in morning to a stronger note of Easter lilies or narcissus in the afternoon.
Orchid scent is associated with the reproductive process. Scented flowers attract specific pollinators. In cultivation, and with humans performing the pollinator role, we might easily skew the evolutionary process and produce less scented, differently scented or even unscented offspring after several generations of inbreeding. here is yet another aspect to be considered when maintaining species which might eventually be used to re-populate a natural habitat.
When building a collection of scented orchids, select plants suited to your growing conditions and with blooms that are fragrant when you are there to enjoy them. A most pleasant task awaits you. You can sniff, savor and enjoy many different orchid scents until you find the ones which appeal especially to you. The specific epithet sometimes promises what an orchid can deliver. The epithets ambrosia, aromatica, fragrans, and odorata imply fragrance in abundance. When you choose an orchid you really like, you will be more than willing to accept the challenge to grow it well. After all, the reward will be flowers and the marvellous fragrance.
Some fragrant orchids for a brightly lit windowsill or greenhouse
Spicy-scented Lycaste aromatica
Orange-scented Lycaste bradeorum
Resinous and citrus-scented Catasetum tenebrosum
Rose-scented Laeliocattleyas
Vanilla-scented Encyclia fragrans
Spicy-scented Encyclia trulla
Night-lily-scented Jacquiniella equitantifolia
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