THE best, strongest, nicest scented phal - Orchid Board

vyltan · #1 07-13-2010, 05:36 PM

Ok. So am hooked on scented phals and where I live we only have one phal retailer and 2 expos a year. So waiting to be able to sniff personaly a new phal and decide to add it to my collection is not frequent.

I know that scent will be related to culture conditions and also to a specific individual within a species or a cross. So am asking you experienced phals lovers who have sniffed different bellinas, violaceas, primary hybrids and new hybrids, in your own collection, witch clone will fill the room/greenhouse with the most showy flowers and your favorite fragrance? (and ofc that we can still buy somewhere!)

nenella · #2 07-13-2010, 06:15 PM

I can't be of alot of help to you as Idon't have a massive collection (10 species phals)
most of them were acquired on the basis that they were 'scented ones'... For now the one that stands out for me scent wise is the 'bellina violacea' (mine is bellina violacea 'Borneo'.. which I believe has now changed names.....(I didn't "keep up " )
I hope an expert chips in.!
.. I have others but I honestly can't say they are exceptionally scented as you have to put 'your nose' to them to detect anything... I can only blame myself as I smoke ...

Pilot · #3 07-13-2010, 07:13 PM

I'm not overly experienced with the scented phals either, but I do have one in particular-- Phal Ember-- that can fill up my sun room (about 150 sq feet) with its deliciously sweet scent!!!!! I searched for its parentage and its down from violacea. Its the result of two violacea hybrids. I got mine from Logee's online. Its bloom is a deep purple with spots that you don't see unless you come up to the bloom. Its an amazing plant, in and out of bloom.

jkofferdahl · #4 07-14-2010, 11:46 AM

Three of my favorites are violacea, cornu-cervi (don't believe anyone who tells you it doesn't have a scent!) and corningiana.

Royal · #5 07-14-2010, 11:56 AM

P. violacea is my favorite, but P. amboinensis has a strong fragrance that is very different. P. venosa smells nice as well. Primaries with these parents are frequently fragrant like Princess Kaiulani, Ambonosa, Penang Girl, Equalacea, etc.

Fragrance is like other qualities (color, form, size) and can vary from individual to individual. Giving them a sniff in person would be ideal.

vyltan · #6 07-14-2010, 01:25 PM

Well Royal that is why I asked for specific clones; my reasoning being that if they have same genetic material, they should smell the same (with similar culture condition of course). For example does a specific clone of Joy Spring Canary have a more potent fragrance to fill a room than a specific violacea or bellina clone, or a sweet memory clone? We are ofc comparing plants with approximate same amount of flowers. Only growers with a big collection of all of the above can compare

jkofferdahl · #7 07-14-2010, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vyltan

Well Royal that is why I asked for specific clones; my reasoning being that if they have same genetic material, they should smell the same (with similar culture condition of course). For example does a specific clone of Joy Spring Canary have a more potent fragrance to fill a room than a specific violacea or bellina clone, or a sweet memory clone? We are ofc comparing plants with approximate same amount of flowers. Only growers with a big collection of all of the above can compare

Sadly, orchids don't work that way. It should seem that two plants grown from the same seed pod would be genetically close enough that the plants are essentially identical, but that's not the case. It may also differ with clones. I think that Royal's advice is good - if you really want to know the gragrance of the flower you need to smell it before purchasing it. And that may or may not be enough. My most fragrant cornu-cervi has off years when I can barely detect anything.

Call_Me_Bob · #8 07-14-2010, 04:09 PM

i dont know about scented phals, but phal. ember as stated above, is BEAUTIFUL!

Royal · #9 07-15-2010, 09:27 AM

Another factor that comes into play is the fact that the sense of smell is a perception, and the interpretation of a smell can vary from person to person. As I mentioned above, P. amboinensis is usually very fragrant, but not really a "sweet" smell like violacea. Some people can't stand the smell of amboinensis.

vyltan · #10 07-18-2010, 11:27 PM

I agree with all of the above, but am still surprised that at least a meristem of a plant would not have the same smell as the original plant...

And my problem stays the same: i don't live in USA in a rich phalaenopsis grower state

So, the next step after smelling a phal myself is get info from phalexperts...