Any orchids that smell like jasmine or gardenias?
 

I love, love, the scent of jasmine and gardenias but they need too much sun to grow inside.:( Sooo, I am currently on the lookout for any orchids that smell like jasmines, gardenias, hostas or just any other white florals. I've heard that B. nodosa and hybrids smell like white florals but when I smelt them at my local Home Depot, I could only detect citrus. Any recommendations?

B nodosa typically has its more characteristic fragrance (Jasmine is close) at night. (It's nickname is "La dama de la noche") So you may need to make a leap of faith, take it home, and turn off the lights. (I enjoy sitting on my patio on a summer night, the air filled with the B. nodosa fragrance) Neofinetia (Vanda) falcata has some fragrance by day, but more at night. And most of the Angraecums likewise are night-fragrant.

If you love Jasmine, try Jasmine sambac 'Maid of Orleans'. It is in bloom almost constantly, year-round, has that wonderful scent, and is quite easy to grow...and can be kept at a manageable size with pruning. It grows and blooms well under artificial light or in a window.

Many orchids only give off scent at certain times of the day, or in the night. B. nodosa does smell like citrus.

---------- Post added at 05:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:45 AM ----------

Many orchids only give off scent at certain times of the day, or in the night. B. nodosa does smell like citrus. I am not sure what gardinia or jasmine smell like, but some cattleyas are very strong and floral.

I collect fragrant orchids and other fragrant plants in general and I have not come across any orchids that smell like gardenia (which to me smells like a buttery floral fragrance). There are many types of jasmine with a variety of fragrances and there are quite a few orchids that are close to jasmine fragrance. Anagraecums are probably the closest in my collection to jasmine officinale. That being said, I have learned that scent is very subjective

I do not think any of my orchids, as wonderful as they are, smell quite like my jasmine...but I like the orchids for their own unique scents. :)

Scent is very subjective, and different people have different scent receptors in our noses. One person might not even smell something that is strong to another person. I've met a lot of people who think gardenias smell like US hot dog sausages. So even if a person thought a jasmine and an orchid smelled alike, other people would have different experiences.

Yes! I have that exact plant actually! My grandparents grew it for decades and everyone in the family loves it. I've just always been discouraged from bringing it inside because I've been told that they bloom very poorly if at all indoors. But I'll give it a try this summer!

---------- Post added at 05:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:29 PM ----------

[QUOTE=Roberta;1012094]B nodosa typically has its more characteristic fragrance (Jasmine is close) at night. (It's nickname is "La dama de la noche") So you may need to make a leap of faith, take it home, and turn off the lights.

Yikes, I'm getting sold. I'll do some research on the care and I might just grab it the next run to the store... Thanks!

---------- Post added at 05:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:37 PM ----------

Yes! I have that exact plant actually! It's suffering pretty bad bud blast here and I just can't figure out why. My grandparents grew it for decades and everyone in the family loves it. I've just always been discouraged from bringing it inside because I've been told that they bloom very poorly if at all indoors. But I'll give it a try this summer!

I think scent being subjective is overstated. There are specific chemicals that cause odors. If someone perceives a chemical in some way, then they would perceive the same chemical from an orchid in the same way. So if someone smells hot dog sausages from jasmines, then the question would be are there orchids that smell like hot dog sausages, and the reference between their experience and ours would be the same.

Scent receptors in the nose are hypervariable during development, like the business ends of antibodies. Different people may have receptors that have differing affinities to the same chemical, and respond to these chemicals in different ways. Some people lack receptors for chemicals most people can smell.

The sense of smell results from the brain summing and interpreting sensory input from multiple receptors responding to the suite of chemicals presented. Different people will indeed have different experiences with the same flower fragrance.

This can be seen with some strong fragrances like the water lotus (Nelumbo), Oriental lilies, tazetta narcissus, Clerodendrum chinense (fragrans, phillipinum), Clerodendrum bungei (Cashmere bouquet) and Gardenia. Some people find these fragrances intolerably offensive, while others like them. Some people detect hot dog smell in Gardenia, and others don't.