What REALLY goes up your nose when smelling Maxillaria...

[JanS]

Having recently acquired a really nice Max. tenuifolia specimen and seeing recent and past threads about it here (it was this board's 2010 "project"), I've been looking around the web for some more information - particularly what it actually looks like when growing in nature.

Instead, I happened upon this genuine scientific paper that analyzed the volatile compounds coming off its flowers using...get this..."headspace-solid phase microextraction"! I can just imagine a bunch of people in lab coats running around with orchids in a mad science lab.

Anyway, I thought I'd share this for the scientifically inclined. For those not wanting to read the paper (at least check out some of the references) here's the summary: you sniff 34 compounds from the plant; lactones are the ones causing the "coconut" fragrance...but represent only 2% of the total volatiles that go up your nose. I wonder if our dog can smell some of the rest?

Here's the reference:
http://www.labplus.co.kr/tech/upload...EC%84%9D_1.pdf