The volatile components of three orchid species (Bulbophyllum weddellii, B. ipanemense and B. involutum) were detected using GC/MS. Due to the minute dimension and amount of flowers, special traps and extraction methods were applied and the analyses were finally successful using a special solid sample injector which was constructed in our own laboratory. The chemical composition comparison revealed the high similarity between the volatiles present in B. weddellii and B. involutum, which is coherent with the pollinator sharing. On the other hand, the volatiles of B. ipanemense, a species pollinated by other pollinator species, are different from the two previous species. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.5013134