Orchid Facts and Historical Info

Have you ever had Orchid ice cream ?
Salepi dondurma, Turkish ice cream, made from dried orchid tuber, flour, sugar and cinnamon was first made in the 16th century. How does it taste? Eric Hansen, the author of the "Orchid fever", traveled to Turkey to witness the process of making that ice cream and tasted it freshly made: "The cold, silky orbs held the familiar flavors of apricot, pistachio, red currant, peach, vanilla, and bilberry, but there was a subtle aftertaste that I could not identify - slightly sweet with a subtle nutty flavor similar to dried milk powder. It also had a hint of mushrooms, yak butter, and the smell of a got on a rainy day. Not unpleasant, but an earthy, lanolin fragrance that added an intriguing dimensions to the ice cream as it slowly melted in my mouth."

What is the World's Smallest Orchid?
The smallest orchid is Platystele jungermannioides, which has flowers only half a millimeter or one-hundredth of an inch in diameter. The entire plant is only about a quarter of an inch tall. They grow naturally in the cloud forests in Central America. The flower, when viewed through a magnifying glass , is a pale greenish color with a purple lip.

What is the World's tallest Orchid?
The tallest freestanding orchid is Sobralia Altissima from the high forests of Peru. It is reported to grow up to 44 feet high. The bright reddish-purple flowers are up to 6 inches across.

What is the Wolrd's Largest Orchid?
The largest orchid is Grammatophyllum Speciosum. It can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and is reputed to produce up to 10, 000 flowers on a mature plant. The pseudo bulbs reach 10 feet in height with leaves along the full length. This monster of an orchid is often found growing as an epiphyte high above the ground on rain forest trees, and more than one collector has been maimed or crushed to death on the jungle floor while trying to dislodge this particular species.

The scent of an Orchid

The warrior/philosopher Confucius (551-479 b.c) called the orchid "the king of fragrant plants." The popularity of fragrant orchids eventually spread to Japan, and by the early 17th century samurai started cultivating Neofinetia falcatas for it's fascinating scent, while the members of the Japanese royalty were perfuming their clothes with Dendrobium moniliforme.

How do you smell an orchid?

In the book Orchid Fever there is an advice given by a Japanese perfumer:

" You have to smell through the first thing that hits your nose, because this is usually the lighter aspect, often a lemony point. It is the most volatile component. The different notes or aspect reveal themselves in stages, and you have to smell through them to get to the bottom of the fragrance puzzle. There are top, middle, and base notes, and that is how we describe fragrances. The base notes are the least volatile and they come up last." Using this technique, he further describes the scent of Cymbidium linearisepalum : Well, here the first thing that hits you is not a citrus note, but jasmine..jasmine album. A very light, extremely elegant jasmine note. And right after that it goes into lily-of-the -valley, which is very fresh. Not citrusy fresh, but a fresh floral scent. I also smell apple blossoms, and now here is something interesting. There is a note that remind me of peaches.Yes, fresh peaches, slightly warmed in the sun."