When visiting an orchid nursery a while back, I smelt this lovely
fragrance. Following the olfactory trail, we found a cattleya. It was
a very small plant but it had a single, huge, bright pink flower. I
looked to see the variety and the label read "Dave`s. Not for sale"
Seems an odd name for a plant...

I suspect that my cattleya is some hybrid developed in Holland so doubt
that I would be able to trace its parentage. As I said earlier, it did
have a smell last year. The flowers are quite small but with four out
(and seven to go), you`d think there would be something. If the
weather is good tomorrow, I will try putting it outside in a sunny,
sheltered spot to see if I can get a reading on the sniffometer.

Kate

"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
...
Often we forget that plants bloom to breed. That is their reason to
make a flower.

A plant that is fragrant is trying to attract a pollenator. B.
nodosa
is fragrant at night because that is when the moth that pollenates
the
flower is active. The white color and the odor is what attracts the
critter that is necessary to carry the pollen to the next plant.

Generally, white flowers are pollenated at night and the white color
enhances the ability for the critter to find the flower. A spot on
the
throat of the flower makes a nice target for the pollenator to aim
for.

Some orchids mimic a female bee (Ophrys) that when the drunken male
bee
comes home after a hard night at the local bar, his eyesight is a bit
off. He sees this flower that looks like a sweet female and tries to
make love to her. Frustrated he moves to the next "female" and
continues until he gets fed up and goes home. His wife finds the
pollen
and his collar and knows where he's been.

With this cattleya you should research the species parents and figure
out why it would be fragrant. Of course the more the genes get mixed
up
the plant may be confused and may not mimic the species.

I've had some catts that are fragrant only for a brief moment when
the
sun first comes up then nothing the rest of the day. Some only when
the
sun is on them, some of them only when the air is warm, etc. It's
all
genetic.

Good growing,
Gene