When we think of flowers and scented orchids we think of lovely sweet and fruity smells. In fact, an orchid often has to attract some or all kinds of insects and animals to the flower. But nature sometimes plays crazy jokes. So there are some flowers that don't smell nice at all. And yet this has its own function per species, as we would like to show you. After all, the flowers do look particularly eccentric, making you want to consider these smelly orchids after all!
fungus gnats
Creepy black stink bug
This creepy orchid not only has one of nature's blackest flowers, but it is also a stinker! Now there won't be a very strong smell coming from it, but still the smell is not very pleasant. The smell is reminiscent of an earthy or fungal smell. This orchid does that to attract fungus gnats. This is because these pollinate the flower.
Monkey face
The Dracula Vampira is also a very popular orchid because of its special flower shape. Namely, it has flowers in the shape of a monkey's face.
Behind glass
In addition, this orchid likes to stand moist, which makes it an extremely suitable terrarium plant. So you could say that you can then enjoy the look of the flower, because it is behind glass anyway. Win-win!
Scavenger flies
Red hairy stink bug
One of the most sought-after Bulbophyllum orchids from New Guinea is the Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis. It is a beautiful species that can grow huge (with leaves as long as 120 to 180 centimeters) and produces 12 to 20 unusual fleshy red flowers with white hairs about 6 centimeters long. In the wild, this species grows at elevations up to 500 meters above sea level in dark, moist forests.
Rotting flesh
Despite the flowers being so beautiful and unique, you better put a clothespin on your nose. This is because the flowers smell like rotting meat. With this, the plant attracts carrion flies, which then pollinate the flower.
Giga Bulbophyllum
There is another species of Bulbophyllum that is worth mentioning because you want to have this species: the Bulbophyllum beccarii. It is by far the largest species of Bulbophyllum in nature. It can get thick rhizomes of 5 centimeters (which has been reported), but some claim that the species could also get rhizomes 20 centimeters in diameter. The orchid is an epiphyte that snakes around a tree toward the light. The thick, leathery leaves can grow about 60 centimeters long and 20 centimeters wide at maturity. The leaves are bowl-shaped and trap waste from plants, which they convert into fertilizer.
Giant smelly clusters of flowers
The flowers that the Bulbophyllum beccarii gets are insane to see. The flower branch emerges from the rhizome near a pseudobulb. It is about 20 centimeters long and consists of hundreds of small, yellow flowers. Unfortunately, it also smells like rotting flesh. Still, this species gets breathtaking flower clusters.
So not all orchids produce a pleasant smell to attract, for example, bees, butterflies and other insects that gravitate to that smell. They may also want to attract other insects that gravitate to other kinds of scents. Unfortunately for us, the smell is not pleasant, even though the flowers do have a very special appearance. Nevertheless, would you want one? Perhaps then just behind glass or a pinch on the nose in the greenhouse?
