Stanhopea flowers are fragrant enough to smell from a household away and are strangely beautiful in a "from outer space" sort of way. They come in all "flavors"; for example, some smell like chocolate mint while still others smell like mothballs. They bloom once a year and last a few days but when they bloom, they work really hard pumping out frangrance. The fragrance attracts the large bees that pollinate them. Each Stanhopea is pollinated by a different bee species and has a different shaped lip to funnel that particular bee past the pollen, having evolved for just that bee. They are fascinating to say the least. Besides, I know of no other single flower that can be easily whiffed at fifty paces. Thank goodness, most of them smell nice.
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