RE: scents:formerly mirabilis

Many thanks to everyone who responded to my original posting on
Mirabilis and its elusive smell.

Gosh, who would be a man? Not only are we olfactorily challenged but we
are a smelly lot that have mucked up an innocent plant so that it
literally doesn't know what time of day it is.

Actually it isn't just us males who are confused, one of the girls
claimed that the crimson flowers were as strongly scented as the white,
whereupon her colleague said nonsense, she has just smelt the lavender
next to it. I can smell the Lavender but none of the Mirabilis which is
scattering itself around the nursery presumably in response to global
warming.

Fortunately it is such a good looking plant that it doesn't have to rely
on scent for its attraction. I am sure there is a message there for us
men, but I am not sure what it is is!


Anthony

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
[o*@ucdavis.edu] On Behalf Of maria guzman
Sent: 15 September 2005 18:22
To: medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
Subject: Re: scents:formerly mirabilis

>I remember a fascinating article years ago in National Geographic, I
>believe, that explored scent and the perception of scent.  Apparently
it is
>genetically, as well as environmentally, controlled, and some people
just do
>not have the receptors to smell some basic scents. Most scents, like
colors
>and tastes, are made up of combinations of organic compounds, and if
one is
>missing some of the receptors, the sense of smell will detect something
>different or just not detect that smell at all.  The most telling
example, I
>thought, was that 20% of all males simply do not have the ability to
"smell"
>body odor.  I think that explains alot!
>
>Karrie Reid
>Folsom Foothill Gardener
>Zone 9
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