As we know, there are many wonderful orchids that smell beautiful, but did you know there are even orchids that smell of chocolate? Sadly though, as humans we don’t always smell the exact same thing but here’s hoping that you can smell chocolate too!
So, lets start with the obvious and most notorious, the Chocolate Orchid. Otherwise known as the Oncidium Sharry Baby Orchid, this vigorous beauty is one of the most popular orchids to date which is easy to see (or smell) due to their beautifully intense fragrant blossoms!
These attractive hybrids are tree-dwelling plants and have been created by crossing two other Oncidium hybrids- Jamie Sutton and Honolulu. They grow small yet long leathery leaves and when they bloom, they produce long spikes of showy, brick-red and cream flowers. It is not unusual for its branching spikes to carry an amazing 100 or more fragrant deep-red flowers. Mature plants can release numerous spikes at the same time, though sadly when in bloom, we expect them to blossom for only around 4 weeks unless there are multiple flower spikes.
Secondly, the Oncidium Heaven Scent (Redolence). The Redolence Scent succeeds the Sharry Baby Orchid which we have uncovered smells like chocolate. This orchid is more appealing as it has a more defined and fuller flower in comparison to the Sharry Baby thanks to its higher density of flowers. The flower is red and has a white boiled candy humbug type of pattern surrounding the edges of the flowers- making it more alluring compared to the Sherry baby in our opinion. When combined with the wider sepals and petals of the flower, this makes for an attractive presentation. The fragrance of Oncidium Heaven Scent is a charmingly light perfume that pervades the morning air which some suggest has an ever so slightly fragrant scent to it. Usually as the first flowers are opening, they sadly lose their scent so getting a chance to smell them would be easier if you just owned one and kept a close eye on when it blooms- just don’t forget, these orchids are definitely not space savers.
Finally, we have the Encyclia Cordigera which is long known as Epidendrum Atropurpureum. Situated through central America, the northern areas of South America and Brazil, this orchid adapts to various conditions so is perfect for hobbyist orchid collectors. In addition to its beautiful scent, this species can be found in three colour forms which makes it even more desirable. These orchids have a powerful fragrance that varies slightly with each plant, yet some say the pink-lipped flowers not only smell like chocolate but also roses. Interestingly, flowers that bloom can last in excess of over a month so there’s plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful scent. The best flowers have a broad skirt-shaped lip with saturated colour and a well-defined magenta central blemish for the semi-albas. Encyclia cordigera has been used as a parent both within the genus and other members of the Cattleya family to create intergeneric hybrids such as the legendary Epicattleya.