Scented Cattleya's

[kg5]

I have an orchid seller telling me that his scented Cattleya's are not scented all the time when in flower.

It is at random times during any 24hr period that they offer a scent.

The Cattleya's live outside and would also live outside where we live as well.

Any comments very welcome! kg5

[plantbuddy]

Basically, he's correct.

In nature, Cattleya species only exude a scent when their insect pollinators are most active. This could be during the day, or night.

With complex hybrids the heritage that drives them is confused and the scent could be mis-timed.

Usually, I find the scent to be most prevalent during the mid-day, which is good.

[Paul]

Temperature and light intensity can also be a factor. Many day-fragrant catts are most fragrant when temps are warmer and/or light intensity is greater/brighter.

[tucker85]

I agree with the previous posts. Most of my cattleyas are fragrant for a few hours each day. Most commonly in the morning. I do have a couple that are fragrant most of the day but even those are more fragrant in the morning than in the evening.

[Orchid Whisperer]

kg5, I mostly agree with the above posts.

I would say, however, that the timing for when the plants are fragrant is not random. I find that the fragrance is usually stronger at one time of day compared to other times of day. Some Catt alliance plants seem to be mostly day-fragrant, other night-fragrant. Also, most of my Catts are not fragrant for their entire bloom cycle. They often are not fragrant when they first open, then they are strongly fragrant, then the fragrance fades with age.

[euplusia]

Basically Cattleyas are pollinated by bees. Bees are most active in the sunny morning hours, when the sun has warmed up the environment, at about 9-12 o'clock.
Cattleya-relatives like Rhyncholaelia and Brassavola are pollinated after dusk and at night, so they are fragrant at night.
Hybrids may have different traits. Sometimes the fragrance changes within hours.

[kg5]

Thank You for all the answers!

One very amazing forum!

So glad I came here!