So, I bought this Catasetum....but the ID stick in the pot says, "cycnodes wine delight" and then "Yellow Swan" .....Not to sound like a total amateur (which I am...) but what does all this mean? Here's a photo....it's so pretty and interesting, and has a very strange smell during the day...sort of sweet but with a hint of chemical-ness (like a hospital disinfectant?).

Kate, you didn't buy a Catasetum! You bought a Cycnodes which is a hybrid of Cycnoches x Mormodes, see here.
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/horticu...
this hybrid was registered with the RHS in 1980.
At one point someone looked at his/her plant and for awards purposes gave this particular plant or cultivar the name 'Yellow Swan'. Note the single quotes!
Interesting to me is the yellow cultivar. I was familiar with the old dark red Cycnodes Wine Delight and if you happen to know an old chewing gum called Teaberry Gum, you might find the scent of these dark red blooms very similar to the taste of this gum, a minty top note with some Cinnamon thrown in. I have no idea if these yellow blooms smell similar.

Oh my goodness! Thank you! I was told it was a Catasetum, which I know nothing about, but I had to have this beauty and figured I would do my research. Then, I saw that tag and was utterly confused.

The fragrance is really strange. In the morning, it smells like Fruity Pebbles. In the evening, it changes over to a spearmint/hand sanitizer smell. That's the best I can describe it. It's not a bad smell at all. I had it in my car for a few hours before I brought it home and my car smelled very odd! I thought, am I leaking antifreeze somewhere?

If I remember correctly, Cycnoches type orchids send the bloom spike up from the top of the plant like hard cane Dendrobiums while Catasetums send the bloom spike up from the base of the plant. Otherwise, they look pretty much alike.

Jim

Aha, thank you Jim!

Wait, is it Cycnoches or Cycnodes?

Jim said Cycnoches TYPE, Kate. Your hybrid called Cycnodes behaves similarly.

Cycnoches is a Genus while Cycnodes is a hybrid of two Genera, Cycnoches x Mormodes, as Ursula pointed out. Think of Cattleya as opposed to Brassocattleya (Bc.). The origin of the flower spike holds true for both.

Jim

one of the sticky-links
http://www.ladyslipper.com/nam...
And another
http://www.orchidboard.com/orc...

More, from the AOS
http://www.aos.org/Default.asp...
perhaps reading this helps?

more questions? Google Orchid nomenclature.

Ursula, you may be giving Kate a headache!

Jim

No pain no gain!!!

Jim

No headache at all! The two terms were so similar and I didn't even put it together that the name was a merging of Cycnoches and Mormodes. I am going to go read that article. I can only hope one day I'll have the same knowledge as you guys

Those articles.....

Actually, I should mention that I just about asked Kate to repost this as part of the "I bought" thread. But, thinking about it, I let it have its own thread, thinking this might be more of a another hopeful discussion about Orchid nomenclature.

All in all, before one starts a new thread, it might be a good idea to see if another already established thread could be good place to post. I find that many people here rather open threads they have already posted in, instead of going to the home page and check if new threads have been posted. So, if you want more traffic/ answers to your questions, it might not be advantageous to start a new thread every time.

Just some thoughts!

OK, makes sense. I am new to forums; this and Dave's Garden are the first two forums I've ever joined in my life--mostly because I feel lost & clueless about orchids more often than not. So, I'm learning about orchids, and how to use these forums correctly!

thanks Kate!