The nectar-less ghost flower (mohavea confertiflora) that grows in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts has ingenious strategies for attracting pollinators: it mimics the appearance of another desert flower with lots of nectar, and the ghost flower’s center markings are shaped like a female bee (Xeralictus) — here come the male bees to do their work!
It’s a difficult assignment for a perfumer to mimic the scent of a wild, desert flower. The desert flowers I’ve smelled possess a “certain something” I’ve never encountered in perfumes; they have “clear,” fresh and clean aromas, with floral and fruity aspects that are hard to describe, let alone duplicate. I imagine a successful desert flower scent would smell fantastic, but wouldn’t last too long on skin. Byredo Mojave Ghost1 attempts to mimic the scent of an exotic flower’s perfume and to attract pollinators (buyers) but it’s only partly successful…
