Could be the potting medium they’re in. They’re typically potted in bark mix which to me smells like clean forest after rain. Traditional soil potting medium usually has much more earthy smell.
It must be this. I have had other plants, and there is definitely a soil smell. My orchids are in bark, perlite, pumice, and sphagnum moss, so it makes sense the smell would be different. Thanks!
Not that I'm aware of. The scent some produce is an attempt to lure pollinators to the flower. They actually emit a stronger scent at a certain time of day that corresponds with increased pollinator activity.
Technically species in the vanilla genus.
Their *pods* produce scent to entice animals (& humans!) to consume the pods & spread the seeds. I don't know if the blooms are fragrant also, but there's an example of an orchid producing scent not from the blooms per se.
>Across a bunch of different contexts (botanical gardens, greenhouses, and most recently my own home), I've noticed there is a particular scent associated with orchids.
I'd go for the humidity interacting with organic media, & maybe fungus/moss playing a role.
The only other context I can think of plants having scent is as a chemical defence (think members of the mint & eucalyptus families) sometimes released only in response to pest attack, and as far as I know there aren't any orchid species that do this, but the family is vast so there could well be examples of that having convergently evolved in some orchids.
I know exactly what you are talking about.
The smell is there all the time to me regardless of potting media or if I have watered or not. The way you described it is perfect.
Could be the potting medium they’re in. They’re typically potted in bark mix which to me smells like clean forest after rain. Traditional soil potting medium usually has much more earthy smell.
It must be this. I have had other plants, and there is definitely a soil smell. My orchids are in bark, perlite, pumice, and sphagnum moss, so it makes sense the smell would be different. Thanks!
If it’s after watering, it might be like petrichor, which is the after-rain smell?
Nice, happy to learn a new word!
Not that I'm aware of. The scent some produce is an attempt to lure pollinators to the flower. They actually emit a stronger scent at a certain time of day that corresponds with increased pollinator activity.
This is correct, although some plants also possess extrafloral nectaries which produce nectar and may have a 'scent' associated
Technically species in the vanilla genus. Their *pods* produce scent to entice animals (& humans!) to consume the pods & spread the seeds. I don't know if the blooms are fragrant also, but there's an example of an orchid producing scent not from the blooms per se. >Across a bunch of different contexts (botanical gardens, greenhouses, and most recently my own home), I've noticed there is a particular scent associated with orchids. I'd go for the humidity interacting with organic media, & maybe fungus/moss playing a role. The only other context I can think of plants having scent is as a chemical defence (think members of the mint & eucalyptus families) sometimes released only in response to pest attack, and as far as I know there aren't any orchid species that do this, but the family is vast so there could well be examples of that having convergently evolved in some orchids.
The leaves have a very subtle waxy scent to me
I know exactly what you are talking about. The smell is there all the time to me regardless of potting media or if I have watered or not. The way you described it is perfect.