Re: HIST: SPEC: REF: Nose-Specific Fragrances

Anner -- I hope you don't much mind my responding to this on-list. It was
just such an iris that caused the fragrance symbols to be dropped from the
1959 Checklist. The unfortunate event occurred at the 1951 national
convention in Minneapolis when the judges were evaluating a particular cultivar.
The first judge, having sniffed it, opined that it had no fragrance
whatsoever. At that point, one of the clerks, who also happened to be the
hybridizer of the iris under inspection, informed the judges that the
flower's fragrance could only be detected in the field, and then only by the
most discerning of noses. (Clerks have since been barred from volunteering
any information during judging, and it is thought that that decision traces
to this incident.) Upon completing the bench judging, the judges repaired
to the nearby guest garden where the iris in question was growing. There, a
problem was immediately apparent. The judges carried their noses rather
high in the air in any event, and this particular iris was a miniature dwarf
. There was nothing for it but to lower their noses to the level of the
flower. There were the three judges, side by side, bottoms up and noses to
the ground. "Ah, yes!" said the judge who earlier had detected nothing,
"very faint, but distinct!" "Yes," said the second judge, "I agree." And
the third judge also found that there was, indeed, a very delicate
fragrance. Things might have ended there, but a bystander asked what the
fragrance was. "Hmm," said the first judge, "well, it's a bit difficult to
define . . . " "Uh, yes, rather indeterminate," said the second judge. And
the third judge said she couldn't put her finger on it, either. Finally,
someone asked the hybridizer-clerk what it smelled like to him. "It smells
like Spam," he answered. "Really?" said the first judge. "Well, I
can't say I would have recognized that." "I'd have to say the same," said
the second judge. "Nor I," said the third, "how do you spell it?" And
there the matter was left.

The name of the iris, by the way, was CYRANOSE DELIGHT. To the best of my
knowledge, none of the stock exists today. -- Griff

zone 7 in Virginia

----- Original Message ----- From: <ChatOWhitehall@aol.com>
To: <iris@hort.net>
Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2006 9:41 AM
Subject: [iris] HIST: SPEC: REF: Nose-Specific Fragrances


Greetings.

Does anyone recall ever hearing anything about any Iris having a fragrance
that only some highly sensitive noses can detect?

I suppose I should provide some disclaimers here: I am not talking about
the scientific aspects of this question. I think we all appreciate that some
noses are more sensitive than others; that some noses can't smell some floral
fragrances; that perception of plant fragrances may vary a good deal due to
prevailing times and conditions, as, indeed, may the fragrances themselves.

What I am asking about falls squarely into the category of plant lore.

Elizabeth Lawrence in her book *A Southern Garden* speaks of some irises
being said to have fragrances only some folks could smell, and this sensitivity,
this ability to smell those particular irises specifically, was seen as a
social discriminator, a mark of refinement and class, all of which is very like
the story of the Princess and the Pea.

The irises Lawrence mentions in this context are I. florentina, and I.
persica.

Has anyone ever run into any of this sort of thinking? Do you recall where?
I expect it is likely to be in a pre-1950 sort of context or source.

Responses to my private line would be much appreciated.

Cordially,

Anner Whitehead
Richmond VA USA

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