Why do some flowers scatter their perfume at night times and what is the scientific reasons?

Briefly the strong scent is the plants primary lure lacking the use of daylight’s bright colors to attract and guide pollinators.

Many plants depend on animals to spread their pollen. This is a mutualistic relationship where the plant and the pollinator benefit each other. The plant expends less energy on pollen production and instead produces showy flowers, and/or odors to bring in animals. Some plants are general, while others are more specific in their attractants but all offer a nutrient reward of nectar or some of the protein rich pollen.
Plants can avoid direct competition by attracting different species of pollinators in different seasons or at different times. Thus the plant’s efforts to attract pollinators of all stripes has produced the enormous variety of shapes, textures, colors, sizes, perfumes, and blooming times. Meanwhile the pollinators have also adapted to make the best use of a food source.
After the pollinator has left, carrying off a load of pollen, the plant wants the next flower visited to be the same species. This has lead to the most fascinating and intoxicating scents. Crepuscular & noctunal blooming plants guide in some pollinators by being pale so they are visible at night but by emitting strong sweet scents is where they have the greatest success attracting attention. Fragrances can travel great distances to attract specific night flying pollinators. The ability to bloom at night has arisen independantly in several plant families ranging from waterlillies to cacti so it is likely very beneficial.

Flowers that are fertilized by butterflies and moths (lepidoptera) are the most strongly scented. Especially fragrant are the night scented flowers. As a general rule, flowers fertilized by night flying lepidoptera grow within woodlands or wooded valleys, or in tropical areas where the plants are protected from cold winds. This provides the calm humid conditions enjoyed by moths. Rhododendron species of the Himalayas which bear fragrant flowers grow deep in sheltered valleys while those growing on exposed slopes are entirely devoid of scent. For the same reason few alpine plants any where in the world bear perfumed flowers because lepidoptera are unable to tolerate the the cold climatic conditions, though there are a number of migrating species which visit sheltered spots in summer.
Color does play a role as butterflies visit buddleia and dianthus prefering pink to red while moths visit the white or very pale night bloomers. Lonicera periclymenun appear pink when seen from above, yellow from below, hence the particular attraction of this species for both butterfly as well as moth.

Specifics about the active chemicals and their interactions with pollinators can be found in ‘Scented Flora of the World’ by Roy Genders.

Perfume Review: Flower by Kenzo

Flowers $37.99 Women’s 6.8 oz EDP Spray. Created by Gilles Cantuel in 1999 Flowers is defined as refreshing and flowery. This feminine scent contains a blend of fruity citruses with a fresh floral background. Flowers is recommended for casual wear.

Montale Sunset Flowers Perfume by Montale Eau De Parfum Spray / 100 Ml for Women $112.99 Montale Sunset Flowers perfume by Montale, 3.3 oz Eau De Parfum Spray / 100 Ml.

Flower Perfume by Kenzo Fleurs D’ Hiver Eau De Parfum Spray / 50 Ml ( Winter Flowers ) for Women $50.99 Flower perfume by Kenzo, 1.7 oz Fleurs D’ Hiver Eau De Parfum Spray / 50 Ml ( Winter Flowers ).

Montale Powder Flowers Perfume by Montale Eau De Parfum Spray / 50 Ml for Women $58.99 Montale Powder Flowers perfume by Montale, 1.7 oz Eau De Parfum Spray / 50 Ml.

Flowers Perfume by Gilles Cantuel Eau De Toilette Spray / 100 Ml for Women $24.99 Flowers perfume by Gilles Cantuel, 3.3 oz Eau De Toilette Spray / 100 Ml.

Winter Flowers $38.99 Winter Flowers by Kenzo for Women – 1.7 oz EDP Spray

Chelsea Flowers $160.99 Chelsea Flowers by Bond No. 9 for Women – 3.3 oz EDP Spray

Flower By Kenzo Winter Flowers $56.99 Women’s 1.7 oz EDP Spray. Flower By Kenzo Winter Flowers was presented in autumn 2008. The perfume is composed from precious winter flowers which created a powdery creamy floral aura in edp concentration. It includes mandarin violet leaf mimosa camelia Hellebore rose patchouli and vanilla absolute.

Dream Angels Heavenly Flowers $48.99 Women’s 2.5 oz EDP Spray. Dream Angels Heavenly Flowers is a new limited fragrance from the Dream Angels collection and it was presented in April 2010. Heavenly Flowers was inspired by peony flower which is a heart of the fragrance Dream Angels Heavenly somewhat juicier and fruitier than its antecedent.Composition of Dream Angels Heavenly Flowers incorporates peony flower floral notes and fruity aromas.

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