Smelliest bulbs
totototo@telus.net (Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:01:14 PDT)
On 27 Aug 2010, at 13:50, Boyce Tankersley wrote:
Fritillaria imperialis bulbs. Purchased at the local bulb sale on a
Friday and forgotten in the trunk of my wife's car over a very warm
weekend.
Memorable experience, but not to be repeated.
I'm with Janos Agoston: I like the smell of Frit. imp. But then I guess I'm
weird: I always liked the occasional whiffs of skunk you get when out driving
in the East. (No skunks here.)
Jim Waddick in another reply in this thread mentions paperwhite narcissus as
one of the stinkers. They're an example of a scent that when very faint is
quite pleasant, but intolerable if strong. Another such scent is that of
skatole, the compound that gives feces its characteristic odor. In very low
concentrations it has a floral quality - and is, in fact (or at least according
to Wikipedia), used in perfumery.
--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada