Bulbophyllum "Smells"...

[Carkin]

Can you help me out by listing the "fragrances" of the Bulbophyllums you know?
I am hoping to add more Bulbo's to my collection but because I grow my orchids in my livingroom I would like to avoid any that are smelly!

The only one that I have taken a whiff of myself is cocoinum...smells like coconuts!

 

[NYEric]

B. ambrosia is supposed to be pleasant also. I'm looking for good sized pieces of both.

 

[Carkin]

B. ambrosia is supposed to be pleasant also. I'm looking for good sized pieces of both.

I've been looking at this one at Cloud's...they have BS for $25.

 

[NYEric]

I can get the ambrosia; B. cocoinum is more fleeting.

 

[Carkin]

Good to know...thank you!

 

[NYEric]

Yeah, if you can get more than 5 growths it should be good.

 

[Carkin]

Okay, I'll check it out next time I'm there

 

[Trithor]

With a name like ambrosia, one would expect it to be pleasant in some way, names like foetida, might be a bit different.

 

[lepetitmartien]

I'm preparing for a year a (huge) list of perfumed orchids, expect it by this summer. I'm cleaning the taxonomy at the moment.

 

[NYEric]

there are such lists on the internet. An update would be appreciated.

 

[lepetitmartien]

The lists on the net are full of errors, I can tell you! Even the book of Steven Frowine has errors, I'm still wondering what are some of the species/hybrids he wrote about! Now it's a great resource easily available.

It'll be a work in progress, as there's amongst errors, certainly misidentifications, some people have strange nose at work too, but at least there will be something to chew on, revised and updated. Right now I'm at about 3600 listed names, and half thru the taxonomic revision and still packing in some details. At least the names will be correct (Kew/TPL, sorry for the aussies own taxonomy or the fight over the names of european terrestrials), I don't want to enter taxonomic fights but to stand on either consensus or if not, with a regular scientific source easily workable.

And everyone will be able to tell me and so add species, hybrids to the list (yes, I list hybrids!). People on the French speaking forums have already helped a lot, I'll extend the support by then, I just don't want to fill up my mailbox in one go.

The list will be available for free, and regularly updated (donations allowed, it's a *_lot_* of work). I'll post officially on all the forums I'm on this summer, when the list will be available. :evil:

So a few bulbo with a (really) nice smell :
Ambrosia
baileyi
cocoinum
gerlandianum
lobbii
macranthum
patens
picturatum
purpureorhachis
Madeline Nelson

Enjoy

 

[Carkin]

Thank you very much! That's super helpful!

 

[Fabrice]

Claptonense too, smells peach (light)

 

[Carkin]

Mmmmmm...I love peaches!

 

[NYEric]

Good info here, thanks.

 

[Rick]

As far as I have experienced, everything in the subgenus Lepidorhiza is pretty bad (just a matter of distance, but usually like poop).

The Sestochilus aren't usually too bad. Maybe moldy hay or rancid water, but not very strong at best, some actually smell pretty nice. My cornutum smells like fermenting grapes

Those are two big groups of popular bulbo species.

The Macrobulbon group also smell pretty bad (dirty daipers), but most of these are huge plants and not best for indoor conditions.

The Stenochilus (patens and macranthum examples) usually smell like cloves/pumpkin pie. Fermenting and spiced fruit is fairly common in this group.

With the exception of the Lepidorhiza group (which probably leaves you with 800 or so Bulbo species to play with) the smell is either good, benign, or so faint that you need to stick your nose in the flower to smell it.

 

[Rick]

Oh ya the squidly things like virescens in the Pabundia section are pretty rank, the species in this group are usually hard to find.

Also there are odoratisimum and odoratum. One smells good and one smell bad, and I can't remember which!!!:sob:

 

[Carkin]

Thank you Rick!

 

[NYEric]

Also there are odoratisimum and odoratum. One smells good and one smell bad, and I can't remember which!!!:sob:

Now, this is not helpful at all.

 

[Carkin]

Now, this is not helpful at all.

Lol! I am keeping track of all the "fragrances" that have been described to me...I actually had odoratissimum on my list. It is supposed to have a "fruit loops" smell!
So I guess odoratum is the stinky one!