Maxillaria Tenufolia with very little fragrance
 

I have a Maxillaria Tenufolia 4N which is currently in flower. It has 13 flowers open at the moment but the fragrance is only detectable if you place your nose directly on the flower. Does fragrance strength tend to vary from plant to plant? As this is a very large specimen, which is flowering for me for the first time in 2 years, I was slightly disappointed with the lack of fragrance.
Thank you for any feedback,
Andrea

Maxillaria Tenufolia 4N picture
 

Here is a picture of the flower with very little fragrance. This is my first attempt at posting a picture. Hope it works.

maybe the fragrance will get stronger with time. how long has ur orchid been in bloom?

Sometimes in breeding 4N plants you gain/lose characteristics.
Joann

I have a Brassavola nodosa that isn't at all fragrant. Many other orchids famous for certain scents now have clones that are not fragrant, too. This is happening throughout much of the flower world. Roses and carnations are facing the same fate. The problem is that judges at shows are only interested in the appearance of flowers and the fragrance doesn't matter at all. Naturally, breeders want to win awards as this increases the value of the orchids so they do what is necessary to conform to the 'standards' and, if fragrance is not included as a standard, that is not going to be important in breeding.
In silent protest, I never enter my orchids in any of the area shows even though I do help in any way I can for my society's show. It concerns me that as many species become extinct in the wild, we are also losing them in 'captivity' through breeding out the traits that they once had and making them something quite different. I think that the fragrance is part of the essence of a flower as it is how they attract pollinators and can even tell us more about the flower.

I have three Maxillaria tennifolia and I thought the same thing, until they were all placed in the same warm, bright area and they all started smelling the same. The one that I thought was some form of hybrid or mutant as it had NO smell whatsoevery was the one in the shadiest place. The foliage looked great and it was blooming, but no smell until I moved into the warmer, brighter window - So often the fragrance is dependent on temp and light, which probably means that the pollinator is an insect that only comes out in sunny, warm conditions.
So, you may try giving it more light and see if that strengthens the fragrance....
It's worth trying -

It has been blooming approximately one week with new flowers opening daily.

---------- Post added at 06:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:26 PM ----------

Thanks Leafmite, I appreciate your commentary. I was concerned that maybe exactly what happened.
Andrea

---------- Post added at 06:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:37 PM ----------

Zoi2
I was afraid that was the case.

I've only ever got one solitary flower on mine, but it was fragrant. Like others have said though it was in bright sun (actually direct mid-day sun outside, but that's in the UK so not as much as other countries would get).

P.S. I've moved your post to the Maxallaria Alliance Area. Introductions area is really for posts saying Hi.

Thanks for moving the post. Newbie mistake!