An introduction to the scent of cacti

Abstract

AbstractThe family of Cactaceae consists of around 1500 species in about 100 genera, being mostly leafless trees or shrubs of succulent appearance and often having attractive flowers. In comparison to other families, e.g. Orchidaceae, the flowers of Cactaceae are of a morphologically primitive structure. Nevertheless, they show adaptive traits towards different groups of pollinators. Adaptations are reflected to a certain degree also in their scent composition as illustrated by the selection of analytical data presented in this overview. Special attention is given to night‐scented species flowering in most cases only during one night and being pollinated either by moths or by bats. The representatives of the first group show similarities in their scent composition to well‐known moth flowers in other families, while the second group is dominated by repulsive garlic or cabbage‐like odours caused by large amounts of sulphur‐containing compounds such as dimethyl disulphide and methyl thioacetate. Among the scent components of the diurnal species, being pollinated by bees or a mixed spectrum of insects, the musty‐earthy smelling dehydrogeosmin and geosmin deserve special attention. Furthermore, some additional structurally and/ or olfactorily interesting constituents occumng in the cacti scents are highlighted.