Aerangis biloba
Recently purchased so I can't take credit for the blooms. I'm mostly a newbie when it comes to Angraecoids. I'm a sucker for fragrant flowers, and the Angraecum Alliance is known for being night fragrant. I figure since I'm mostly only home in the evenings anyway, it's the perfect thing for me to enjoy.
I picked this species up on a whim, already in bud/bloom. I was hoping for a really lovely fragrance to accompany the spray of small, white blooms.
The first night I had it home, I was a little repulsed. This thing smelled like an unkempt urinal. Blech. The second night, same deal. I thought my Aerangis got confused and thought it was a Bulbophyllum.
Then on the third night, something magical happened. Determined to give this thing a chance, I brought the plant into the dark living room around 7 p.m. or so, which is around the time I started to detect a fragrance from it the previous nights. As I sat on the couch, I suddenly started smelling a familiar scent. Hyacinths! A quick close-up sniff confirmed it, this thing smells wonderful now, powerfully so.
I don't know if the bad smell was a result of the fact that the flowers hadn't been open long the first couple of nights, if it was the change in conditions, or if it was because the plant was used to things getting dark around 7 p.m. and didn't get that under lights, but something about the fragrance seems to change dramatically and for the best when I move the plant into dark conditions in the evening.
Photos aren't the best. Hard to snap a good shot when this plant is swaying in the breeze.
Aerangis biloba
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