Pleasant smell of Arum dioscoridis?

From: Krzysztof Kozminski kk at kozminski.com> on 2003.04.05 at 17:17:16(10083) I came out today to see that my A.dioscorididis v. luschanii was open (might have opened yesterday). Last year, it had no discernible smell at all, perhaps because I cut it up off early to get close-up photos (some of the ones residing in http://www.aroid.org/genera/arum/dioscoridis/index.html). This year, a surprise. There was nothing pungent around the plant, so I stuck my nose into the inflorescence, and was greeted with faint smell resembling jasmine & orange blossoms. I've heard that some essential oils (indol) have pleasant smell when highly diluted, and exhibit fecal/putrid smell in high concentration. Would this be the case for whatever is supposed to make A.dioscoridis the most evil smelling of all arums? KK

From: Marc Gibernau gibernau at cict.fr> on 2003.04.07 at 09:52:40(10087) Dear Krzysztof, Apparently in Arum, there are two kinds of odour: - one produced by the appendix (towards outside): it can be pleasant or foul smelling according to the kind of pollinators attracted. - one produce in the floral chamber (certainly by the male flowers): it's always pleasant (emission of (sesqui)-terpenoid: bicyclo-germacrene). The odour of A. dioscoridis var dioscoridis has been analysed and the appendix emitted a mix: p-cresols, decene, dimethyloctadienes, 2-heptanone and ethanol. Such odour can be described as donkey-dung odour, attracting dung-breeder flies and beetles. The odour of A. diocoridis var philistaeum has also been analysed and appears to be different from the previous variety in containing various esters of butanoic acid and lacking the three first compounds in the above list. +More I suggest for more details that you have a look at the great work of Geoffrey Kite and collaborators published in 1998 in a book entitled Reproductive Biology (Kew) on inflorescences odours and pollinators of Arum and Amorphophallus. All the best, Marc

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