Oliver Sparrow commented: "When unmolested, it (Coelogyne flaccida) makes the house smell of old, much used and fermenting socks. When watered, this changes to the odour of fresh horse urine; that of several incontinent and large horses."
Oliver, I haven't any records describing brief bursts of scent/odour following a rainstorm, but I have a number of records of plants that smell of fresh urine. I described one species that smelled distinctly of stale tomcat urine .... you probably don't want to know why I'm familiar with the stench. An even larger number smell of old wet socks. One of my colleagues more politely describes this odour as "smelling of fungus". Oberonia fungumolens acquired this specific name because you can smell it from some distance downwind, even on a dry day. I've just returned from fieldwork in Malaysia, where Coelogyne cumingii is blooming in the mountains. This species usually smells strongly of jasmine, but one particular plant that I encountered on this trip had flowers with a "rather unpleasant scent, like wet socks". It rained later that afternoon, but I was miles away by then. Cheers, Peter O'Byrne _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
