"nightwriter" wrote in message ble.rogers.com...
I have heard that there are many different types of foul smelling orchids,
one of which smells like rotten meat.

There are indeed a wide variety of foul smelling orchids, many of
which smell like rotten meat. The genus bulbophyllum is a rich source
of icky odors. Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis smells like ripe roadkill.
B. cupreum smells like rotting salmon. IIRC, B. graveolens smells
like warm dog poop. Many cirrhopetalum-types (e.g. B.
rothschildianum) smell like old mushrooms.

In general, the smelly orchids are fly pollinated. Look for flowers
with hairy excrescences and colors in the rotting meat/fungus range of
purples, reds, and browns.

Other orchids smell pleasant in small doses but are nasty when
concentrated. Oncidium ornithorhynchum and O. Sharry Baby make me ill
if I'm shut up in a car or small room with them for too long.

does anyone have one, and are they
unwelcome additions to the inside of a home?

Depends on the strength of the odor and the sensitivity of the
orchidists spouse or room-mates. The shroomy smell of cirrhopetalums
isn't really a problem. Others may require a greenhouse or
clothespins on your nose.

Among my non-orchids, Stapelia gigantea (dog poop) is banished from
the house when it blooms. Amorphophallus konjac (overheated roadkill)
goes all the way to the bottom of the garden.

Nick

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myrmecodia-at-yahoo-dot-com