Stanhopea anfracta

[smweaver]

Very pretty, but somewhat fetid, flowers on this species.

Stanhopea anfracta | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Stanhopea anfracta | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Stanhopea anfracta | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[Angurek]

Just out of curiosity, what do the flowers smell like? I've heard that many stan's have a strongly chemical smell (akin to various cleaning chemicals).

Beautiful flowers, though. I love their deep butterscotch yellow color.

[smweaver]

Carl, they smell like a combination of pungent urine and overripe oranges (imagine a bowl of old oranges that a cat decided to use for its latrine because you were negligent about cleaning its litter box). Yes, the color is beautiful. But the scent is enough to make you want to take quite a few steps back once you get within five feet of the plant. I rarely say this of stanhopeas, but I'm grateful that the flowers only last a few days.

Steve

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Angurek

Just out of curiosity, what do the flowers smell like? I've heard that many stan's have a strongly chemical smell (akin to various cleaning chemicals).

Beautiful flowers, though. I love their deep butterscotch yellow color.

Most Stans do not smell of chemicals, but rather of something WONDERFUL! lol

Originally Posted by smweaver

Carl, they smell like a combination of pungent urine and overripe oranges (imagine a bowl of old oranges that a cat decided to use for its latrine because you were negligent about cleaning its litter box). Yes, the color is beautiful. But the scent is enough to make you want to take quite a few steps back once you get within five feet of the plant. I rarely say this of stanhopeas, but I'm grateful that the flowers only last a few days.

Steve

This description made me crack up! I have never smelled this particular Stan (gorgeous as it is!) and I'm not sure I want to! lol

[Angurek]

Originally Posted by smweaver

Carl, they smell like a combination of pungent urine and overripe oranges (imagine a bowl of old oranges that a cat decided to use for its latrine because you were negligent about cleaning its litter box). Yes, the color is beautiful. But the scent is enough to make you want to take quite a few steps back once you get within five feet of the plant. I rarely say this of stanhopeas, but I'm grateful that the flowers only last a few days.

Steve

Yuck...I can actually articulate the smell based on that description. You'd never expect something that beautiful to smell so awful.

[smweaver]

Originally Posted by Angurek

Yuck...I can actually articulate the smell based on that description. You'd never expect something that beautiful to smell so awful.

Well, perhaps, in fairness to Stan. anfracta, it's just my nose (although I don't think so). But maybe--and this could be a possible doctoral dissertation for an ambitious entomology student with poorly developed olfactory senses--there's a species of bee somewhere in the mountains of Peru that really enjoys the intoxicating scent of old nasty cats that have lousy bathroom manners.