Fragrance is not the most important advantage of orchids. But for some species and certain varieties, the smell is a significant addition to their main “image”. Favorite sweets, confectionery and spicy aromas, associated with the best desserts and delicacies, are not uncommon among orchids. Vanilla aromas or more original spices in the scent notes give the delightfully bright flowers even more exotic. And you can choose spicy fragrant orchids from both popular and rare species.
7 most fragrant orchids with a spicy scent
Classification of orchids by aroma
Orchids that have some kind of scent, whether pleasant or unpleasant, are less common than plants without a scent. In nature, this is far from the case, but among indoor species it is plants that are completely devoid of odor that dominate.
All orchids can be divided into three categories:
- species and varieties devoid or almost odourless;
- species and varieties with an unpleasant odor;
- species and varieties with a pleasant aroma - light, subtle or very bright, which divides this category into three subspecies :
- orchids, the smell of which can only be heard from a distance of less than 50 cm;
- varieties with an aroma that is noticeable a meter away from the plant;
- orchids with a strong scent that can be felt even from a distance of more than 3 m.
Orchids do not always reveal their scent right away and often do not smell at the most predictable times. Some varieties are similar to any tropical flowering crops and smell pleasant, especially in the dark. Others - only in the evening, others - at dawn and in the morning, and there are also those whose aroma does not change throughout the day.
A few words about rare species of orchids
In conclusion, we will look at three more varieties with unusual buds -
- Cumbria
- dendrobiums
- cymbidiums
Some of them grow in exotic countries, and some were bred in laboratory conditions. They are united by a shape and color that is atypical for potted orchids.
Cambria: varieties of flowers with photos and names
Orchid "Beallara"
Orchid "Degarmoara"
Orchid "Kalantha"
Dendrobiums: names of flowers and photos
Variety "Apollo"
Purple dendrobium is considered the flower of noble kings
Dendrobium "King"
Cymbidium swordifolia
Cymbidium ensifolium is the honeyiest of all orchids and the most popular of the cymbidiums. This is a very graceful orchid of the sympodial type with poorly developed centimeter-long pseudobulbs, completely covered with leaf sheaths, and long roots. Narrow lanceolate leaves from 30 cm to 1 m in length seem stunningly straight and strict, not only due to their folded structure, but also to their very dark color.
Cymbidium ensifolium. © 阿橋HQ
Vertical inflorescences are usually somewhat shorter than the leaves. They bear up to 9 flowers that last for several weeks. With a diameter of 3 to 5 cm, they flaunt beige-yellowish sepals and petals with longitudinal, reddish veins, and sometimes spots, and a greenish lip covered with patterns.
General care recommendations
The Phalaenopsis genus does not require special care rules, a specific watering regime or location. The basic principles of keeping an orchid will be clear even to a novice gardener:
- The air temperature should be 18-25 C, dropping by 3-4 C at night.
- The orchid loves light, but in the summer months it is necessary to protect it from sunburn. Also, the wrong concentration of light can affect the size of the leaves and the number of buds.
- The preferred humidity level is moderate - 45-60%. Dry or too humid air will negatively affect the flowering of the orchid. Spraying as an additional source of moisture is not suitable; it is fraught with the appearance of rot on the leaves and roots. For these purposes, it is better to place a tray with wet pebbles under the pot.
- Drafts must be completely eliminated.
- The regularity of watering depends on the time of year: in summer it is a good idea to irrigate the plant 1-2 times a week; in winter, watering should be reduced.
The most important rule when caring for phalaenopsis is not to overdo it. If you have doubts whether it is worth giving another portion of fertilizing or watering once again, you should refrain.
Cycnoches pentadactylon
Cychnoches pentadactylon surprises anyone with its chocolate and amazingly delicious aroma, which is characterized by soft vanilla overtones. This is a very rare orchid, the flowers of which can’t help but evoke associations with miniature dragons. And it is even more surprising that in culture, cyknotes are surprisingly unpretentious and are more similar to phalaenopsis than to rare species.
Cychnoches pentadactylon. © Gena Jogolev
The bizarre, fleshy, round-spindle-shaped pseudobulbs of this sympodial orchid surprise with their numerous internodes and produce tightly hugging the stem, thin, oval-lanceolate leaves with a pointed tip, from the axils of which grows a short peduncle with 30 or slightly less elegant flowers with a diameter of up to 10 cm Oval, with a narrowed base, petals and sepals turned back, and a thin lip fancifully arched create a shape that truly resembles a tailed dragon in flight.
Varieties and subspecies of orchids, photos
The Liodoro orchid variety has a subspecies - Phalaenopsis Amber. Plants of this subspecies have the following distinctive features :
- its stem is slightly shortened, and the root system is aerial with thick roots;
- leaves are denser, rich green in color with slight wavy edges;
- The peduncle is formed twice a year;
- the shape of the flowers is more rounded, but the petals are also slightly pointed;
- the color of the flowers themselves is a rich purple-burgundy;
- flowering is accompanied by an intense aroma;
- with proper care and conditions, Amber will live for 15 years.
Below is a photo of a flower.
Rhynhostilis gigantea
Giant rhynchostylis (Rhynchostylis gigantea) is the best of the orchids with “Christmas” spicy aromas, the complex trails of which you want to unravel endlessly, barely catching the light undertones of cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, mixed with a sweet honey cloying.
Giant Rhynchostylis (Rhynchostylis gigantea). © Maja Dumat
This is a very large orchid with narrow but fleshy leaves, up to 40 cm in length, growing in two rows, hanging fancifully with age, with an increasingly woody and tall stem and short peduncles. Dense cylindrical panicles of several dozen flowers seem strikingly massive.
Despite the fact that the flowers do not exceed 2.5 cm in diameter, they are very beautiful - with a spur, petals and sepals narrowed at the base, giving the flower airiness, and a three-lobed lip. White or purple, the flowers are clearly visible and seem very delicate.
Zygopetalum
Zygopetalum is one of the orchids whose spicy aroma is easily recognizable and resembles a freshly ground mixture of peppers, superimposed on a base of lilac aroma. The fragrant flowers of zygopetalums emit a spicy scent only in the first half of the day. This is one of the most easily recognizable orchids with large pseudobulbs (up to 7 cm), thick whitish roots and long, folded, spectacularly shiny and not very hard lanceolate leaves.
Zygopetalum. © Birgit Carlsson
Zygopetalums are famous for their shade tolerance, abundance of half-meter leaves, making a very bright impression. But most of all - the unique palette of flower colors. Small, oval-drop-shaped sepals and petals with spots and stripes on a yellow-green background highlight the beauty of the huge, wavy spatulate lip with violet, lilac and blue patterns or colors.
The color shades of zygopetalum flowers are often compared to Saintpaulias. And the fact that each peduncle is capable of producing up to 12 flowers only enhances the attractiveness of zygopetallums.
Perfume factory: 7 favorites on your windowsill
Mass markets are unlikely to please you with exquisite varieties. You can purchase phalaenopsis with a refined scent in a specialized nursery or online store. We recommend taking a closer look at the following varieties:
"Scention"
The orchid belongs to the multiflora type, that is, it has the ability to grow in height during the flowering period, forming new buds. Peach-colored petals with a lilac haze along the bottom edge exude a citrus aroma. The color of the leaves is mesmerizing - emerald, with many dark inclusions. The smell is present both day and night. It becomes especially pronounced in the evening.
READ Baby phalaenopsis orchids, how to plant and care for the offspring correctly
"Odorion"
The Odorion
Phalaenopsis orchid delights the eye with buds of rich pastel shades - peach, pink, powder or orange-raspberry. The aroma cannot be clearly divided into components. Overall it can be described as a floral perfume with notes of jasmine and citrus. The plant likes to be under bright, diffused light for up to 16 hours a day.
"Diffusion"
It is distinguished by particularly lush flowering. With proper care, 'Diffusion' will produce many buds from spring to fall. It has an unusual smell: at first it is weightless, almost inaudible, and in the evening it reveals notes of ginger and warm citrus. The intensity of the aroma depends on external factors (humidity, temperature and lighting). The flowers have a light crimson color with a noble lilac depth.
"Dusty Belle"
Dusty Belle
Phalaenopsis orchid with pink petals and purple-orange lip filling. Sensual beauty BeIIe! It smells fragrant throughout the day. The smell is incomparable: on the one hand, it is the clear sound of ylang-ylang oil, sandalwood, musk, peach, and on the other hand, a pharmaceutical medicine. This composition evokes mixed feelings, especially since the aroma is quite strong. The plant loves moist air and temperature changes - 26-27 degrees during the day and 18-19 at night.
"Valkion"
Orchid Valkion
is practically no different from the “Scention” variety: flowers of pastel shades smell of citrus with notes of lily of the valley. In Russia, these phalaenopsis are classified as a separate group, and, for example, in Holland “Scention” and “Valkion” are identical species of orchids.
"Orange"
Orchid Orange
Sugar peach in the world of exotic flowers! The buds are colored orange and exude the scents of vanilla, honey, chocolate and buttercream. In the morning the aroma reveals bright notes of lilac and hyacinth, and in the evening it reveals tart sweetness. If you provide the plant with access to sunlight (but not the scorching sun!), the fragrance will be more intense.
"Middenrose"
Orchid Miden Rose
Ardent Lady with bright crimson petals and a throat edged with yellow. The aroma is not simple, it reveals itself gradually: spicy anise gives way to notes of warm lemon-ginger pie. Flowers of the Middenrose variety do not tolerate direct sunlight, so on a hot day the window with the plant is shaded.
READ 10 types of orchids that are striking in their beauty: recommendations for care and cultivation
Arachnis
Arachnis orchid has no less original flowering and unique aromas. This orchid has long stems and rigid, belt-shaped leaves arranged in two rows. Peduncles can stretch up to more than a meter. They grow from the axils of the leaves, bending bizarrely.
Arachnis. © Tjflex2
The huge flowers, up to 12 cm in diameter, do not seem massive: they are beige-yellow, with small dark speckles, spider-like, with a waxy texture; they stay on the peduncles for an amazingly long time.
The petals and sepals are narrow, with curved and flared rounded ends, and the lip with a wide spur is decorated with stripes or plain. The flower resembles a spider, which is how the plant got its name. The aromas of this orchid are not always the strongest, but unique: musky, almond, anise, fennel - all these shades are inimitable.
Diseases and pests
In almost all cases, the cause of the disease is non-compliance with basic rules of care:
- frequent watering;
- high humidity;
- untimely change of soil and others.
The most dangerous and frequently encountered pests on this hybrid are:
- Various types of rot (brown, gray, black, root). The affected areas must be removed and the plant treated with fungicides.
- Scale insects have such signs as the formation of pseudobulbs on the leaves. They need to be removed, the soil changed, and the plant treated with Fitoverm.
- The scaleworm , which appears in the form of white lumps on the peduncles, is removed with a damp cloth, and the flower is treated with Fitoverm.
- The whitefly is removed only after all parts of the plant have been completely treated with a soap solution and then with Actellik.
Katasetum
Fans of confectionery art will easily recognize the smells of Catasetum - rare orchids whose flowers smell of freshly baked rye bread and malt muffins. These are sympodial orchids with oval pseudobulbs very tightly pressed together, much like cigars with a pointed end (they can grow up to 20 cm in length).
Catasetum. © Sylvio Rodrigues Pereira
Even during the dormant period, only young pseudobulbs are leafy; from the second year, lanceolate leathery leaves with longitudinal veins fall off. This deciduous orchid simultaneously produces large male flowers, up to 12 cm in diameter, and small female flowers.
Only the first ones can boast of high decorativeness - turned upside down, with a funnel-shaped lip, oval sepals and petals. The unique dark red, chocolate colors contrasting with the yellow and green lip only highlight how unusual this orchid is.
Wanda
Vanda are also associated with spices , although they vary greatly in intensity and sometimes take on shades of grape. The brightest orchid with rounded petals has become famous both for its dazzling “acrylic” shades of purple, pink, lilac, violet, and for its complex character.
Vanda. © annatomic8
Vandas are monopodial orchids that do not form pseudobulbs. Medium stems with densely sessile, strap-shaped and brightly colored leaves and greenish aerial roots create very bizarre silhouettes.
Few-flowered or multi-flowered vandas always look bright. On peduncles of various shapes, developing from the axils of the leaves, from 2 to 15 flowers bloom, which gradually grow and acquire characteristic colors (only a few days after blooming). Vanda flowers can exceed 15 cm in diameter; the rounded lines are their main feature.
Features of the aroma of orchids
Orchids are special flowers that can impress with their appearance, enchant with the beauty of the colors of the inflorescences, and only a few captivate with their aroma. It is noteworthy, but the scent of orchids is a rare feature that has its own principles that you should know in order to fully enjoy this moment of privilege.
I would like to start with the fact that fragrant orchids are not always fragrant. There are species that emit a wonderful smell only in the morning or evening, but at the same time, there are representatives that smell all day. Remember, aroma is a feature that everyone has their own.
Experts warn that fragrant orchid species do not always have a pronounced scent, especially since the aroma cannot be smelled from the first days of flowering. The strength of the smell varies. You should not judge by one representative of all the “relatives” of the orchid. The fragrance can be perceptible, clearly formed and such that it spreads throughout the room in a trail, filling the entire space with notes of freshness and a distinct smell.
You should not assume that all types of scented orchids smell the same, this is not the case. But it is worth noting that experts associate aromas with various fruits, or draw an analogy with the more recognizable smells of other flowers. The leader among the parallels with the orchid is considered to be the smell of vanilla. Despite the variety of scents that are often found among orchids, we must not forget that the scent may not be as pleasant as it seems. Those who have once inhaled those “stench” categorically refuse to breed this type of orchid. Conclusion, before buying a special orchid with a scent, be sure to feel it yourself, do not trust unverified sellers
