Prosthechea cochleata

[DirtyCoconuts]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Calamari?

bingo!!! just i start to smell butter and garlic

[OrchidBro]

If I recall their nickname is the jellyfish orchid but after that comment I might have to call them the fried calamari orchid since they look like the tentacle portion of calamari.

[Selmo]

I believe it is Belize’s national flower and some call it the octopus orchid.
When your plant gets a little bigger/mature it can produce enough spikes that it blooms all year long.

[Dollythehun]

Originally Posted by OrchidBro

It does but I can't really describe it. I've heard others describe it's fragrance as that of cat urine but I don't have any cats nor have I ever had an inclination to smell a cats pee to compare it with. Anyways, I don't find the smell off putting but it also doesn't make me want to smell it all the time.

I have cats. Trust me, when mine blooms, I always think I forgot to clean the cat box.

[OrchidBro]

Originally Posted by Selmo

I believe it is Belize’s national flower and some call it the octopus orchid.
When your plant gets a little bigger/mature it can produce enough spikes that it blooms all year long.

Yes, the woman I bought this from is a local orchid grower who sells at local farmer markets and from her house from time to time. This was a division of her plant, that was rather quite sizable. Her mother plant must of had at least 20 spikes going

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

I have cats. Trust me, when mine blooms, I always think I forgot to clean the cat box.

Lol! Do your cats ever smell the orchid and think it is their litter box? I went and smelled it again yesterday. Best way I could describe the smell was a little bit of spice mixed with some bad body odor. Guess I need to go find a stray cat now and smell it's pee to compare.

[Dollythehun]

Just take my word for it. (Fortunately my cats always use their box).

[WaterWitchin]

Oh Great. I just put this on my "need" list. I still need it, but cat pee? Really? Ugh. The things we tolerate for beauty.

[Dollythehun]

Well, don't buy one, for heaven's sake!

[Roberta]

Strange, I don't smell anything at all on my Psh. cochleata ... waited until the sun hit the plants to see if I was missing something because they live outside. Plenty of fresh flowers... But no, no smell at all. (Psh. radiata, which blooms in late summer, is really fragrant, some people think it's smelly but a different beast altogether. That one smells to me like wintergreen but others sense it as urine or other unpleasant odor)

[OrchidBro]

WW - The moment I saw this flower it went on my need list even after I had be warned about the aroma.

Like Roberta, mine also lives outside so the aroma isn't really a concern for me as if it were in my living quarters. As more of the buds open (I counted 4 more in the process of developing) I will see if the aroma becomes more potent.

Fine Dolly, I will take your word for it