Aerides odorata (The Fragrant Aerides)
The stem is 10–30 cm long, very stout, and branched. Leaves are oblong, leathery, measuring 15–25 × 2.0–4.5 cm, with an obtuse and unequally bilobed apex. The inflorescence is racemose, 25–30 cm long, densely many-flowered, with floral bracts broadly ovate, 5–8 mm long, and having an obtuse apex. The pedicel and ovary are slender, 1.0–2.5 cm long. Flowers are purple to nearly white, sweet-smelling, 1.5–3.0 cm in diameter, often purple-spotted or tipped, with a spur apex that is greenish-yellow. The dorsal sepal is ovate-elliptic, about 1.0 × 0.8 cm, while the lateral sepals are broadly ovate, approximately 1.2 × 0.9 cm, with an obtuse apex. Petals are oblong-elliptic, 1.1–1.2 × 0.5–0.7 cm, with a contracted base and an obtuse apex. The lip is immovable, spurred, 3-lobed, and almost encloses the column; the side lobes are erect and subcuneate, while the mid-lobe is short, linear, and bilobed at the apex. The spur is very large, uncinately incurved, horn-shaped, and about 1 cm long. The column is short, approximately 5 mm long, with a foot around 8 mm long. The capsule is oblong-clavate, measuring 2.5–4.0 cm in length, with obtuse angles.
Etymology: The genus name Aerides is derived from the Greek word aer, meaning “air,” and the suffix -ides, meaning “resembling,” referring to the epiphytic growth habit of these orchids, which seem to grow suspended in the air. The specific epithet odorata comes from the Latin word odoratus, meaning “fragrant” or “sweet-smelling,” referring to the plant’s aromatic flowers.
