Interesting that Paul describes the scent of vanilla surrounding his Ferraria at Berkeley. We grow several color forms of Ferraria crispa, mostly dark with white markings or even darker still, and have noticed the pronounced smell of sweet-smoked meat, like hickory-smoked pork or smoked beef jerking. Not just my sensitive nose; we have a concensus here at Wave Hill that this best describes the odor of these fascinating flowers. Scott Canning Director of Horticulture Wave Hill ~ A Garden and Cultural Center 675 West 252nd Street Bronx, NY 10471 (718) 549-3200 x261 http://www.wavehill.org/ <http://www.wavehill.org/> <<<<<<<I've always loved the vanilla fragrance of Ferraria crispa but with age have had increasing difficulty in bending over to savor it fully. Berkeley is in the third day of a heat wave (high 80's) and much to my delight, the whole area around them is now filled with their heady odor. This odor comes from what I describe as the standard white form and I've often been struck how weak or even absent it is in the ones with darker flowers. We label the latter as 'sp.' but I've been told by several that they are forms of F.crispa, even though they tend to have less fragrance, bloom earlier and grow more vigorously. I guess there are tradeoffs. Paul Paul Licht, Director Univ. California Botanical Garden 200 Centennial Drive Berkeley, CA 94720 (510)-643-8999 http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/ <http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/> >>>>>