The Mystique of Orchids: An Exotic Perfume
By Donna Hathaway
The Orchid family is the largest of all plant families on Earth, yet they still have an air of intrigue about them, even in a time when they can be bought at supermarkets for a fraction of what they would have cost only a few years ago. They live on every continent except Antarctica, and in habitats from steamy jungles to cool forest highlands. Their fantastic shapes and colors draw their admirers into an ever-deepening web of addiction and acquisition. A collector can spend a lifetime concentrating on just one genus or hybrid group; there are so many thousands of them out there that no one could ever have them all.
Of course, the ones that intrigue me most are the fragrant ones, and that is one of the most mysterious things about them. Since they are so diverse, so widespread, and so varying in size and shape, they have many different pollinators in nature, which means that they have developed multiple strategies to attract them. Some mimic the appearance of a female insect in order to entice the males, while others rely on bright colors. Many of them use scent as their lure, and among this group, many are only fragrant when their pollinators are active, whether it be day or night, cool or warm, so humans can have a hard time catching them at the right time to experience their scents, which are amazingly diverse. Some are just plain weird and not pleasant to our noses, while others are so delicious as to be unforgettable.
I recently attended an orchid show, with hundreds of species and hybrids on display, from impossibly tiny flowers that need a10x magnifier to be seen clearly, to monstrously large jungle orchids with cascades of palm-size blossoms. I took some notes on fragrance for my own future reference, as I keep a few at home as space allows, but I also wanted to share my impressions as an indication of what is available in the way of fragrance in the orchid world. Here are a just a few of the many possibilities of scent that I discovered.
The familiar Cattleya orchids are the ruffled corsage orchids, and they often have a lovely freesia or cyclamen-like fragrance. When crossed with Laelia orchids you get Laeliocattleyas, which is where I stop being able to pronounce things. These generally have somewhat smaller flowers, but also lovely perfumes. I found one that smelled like the most fragrant Hosta flowers, very delicate and lily-like, but with a distinct “jungly” note beneath the sweetness; like a breath of tropical forest floor.
A species called Encyclia chacoensis with small, delicate blossoms of intricately carved and patterned green and white stunned me with its whopping dose of heavy, sensuous vanilla and Oriental spice aroma. Another species, the pastel pink and white Siderea japonica, smelled of freesia and latex. And a particular favorite of mine, Zygopetalum mackayi, replicates the strong scent of hyacinth with amazing accuracy. Others are redolent of vanilla (of course!), magnolia, sugared violets, banana, jasmine, or lemon. Then there are the oddballs – a hybrid called “Black Gold’ smelled exactly like lilacs and bacon! Another, a species called Coelogyne pandurata, took me back to my childhood in one whiff with the strong smell of fresh goat’s milk. No, I am not making this up!
This brings me to my all-time favorite, an Oncidium hybrid called ‘Sharry Baby,’ possibly the most famous orchid of all due to its incredibly strong aroma of vanilla and chocolate – it’s a candy bar on a stem, and it’s delicious. Fortunately it is easy to grow, and my own plant is just about to bloom. Not too long ago I discovered a perfume at my local boutique that I fell in love with and bought on the spot. Upon bringing it home I looked it up and found that it has ‘Sharry Baby’ in it, along with two kinds of Cattleya orchids. No wonder I fell for it! The perfume is Lucien Lelong Pour Femme, introduced in 1999, but it smells like a vintage glamour perfume from the glory days of haute parfumerie, along the same lines as Parfums d’Orsay’s Intoxication in that it’s a fragrance for grown-up women, not ingénues, and it is heady and long lasting. It also has notes of lilac, magnolia, Kadota fig, rose de mai, ylang ylang, jasmine, tuberose, iris, sandalwood, sandalwood, vetiver, oakmoss and musk.
Now, I adore lilac and magnolia and fig and everything else that’s in this stuff, so it’s right up my alley. The fig in this is not the green leaves and sap, oh no, it is the honeyed, syrupy fruit, golden and dripping with juice. The orchid plays the role that vanilla has in other perfumes, but the particular genius of this one is that the normal vanilla orchid is not the source, so it has an extra dimension from the delectable chocolate notes in the ‘Sharry Baby.’ You can read more at their web site, www.lucienlelong.com which also seems to be one of the very few outlets for purchasing it, as well as the famous and fabulous Indiscret, another favorite of mine. (A side note: Lucien Lelong has re-released some of their other classic fragrances of days gone by. All Lelong perfumes of the past were formulated by the great perfumer Jean Carles, but I have been unable to determine who is responsible for Lelong Pour Femme. I asked them, but all I got in return was an e-mail form letter. If anyone knows this, do tell!)
Image source: Oncidium orchid “Sharry Baby Sweet Fragrance” from Ironwood Estate Orchids
13 comments May 1st, 2007