People regulalry ignore the fragrances of toadshades, paying attention only to what eyes may reveal. But odor is important to toadshades. Two toadshades may flower side-by-side and never attract the same insect visitors. Two toadshades may be much alike in color but tremendously different in odor.

Some toadshades never seem to produce much of any odor. Many are fragrant just briefly. Others go on and on, pouring out astonishing volumes of fragrance. One toadshade flower, when intent upon being fragrant, can veritably outperform a garden of roses.

Rose-like fragrances are staple products of toadshades in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Lemon is also common, and lemon mixed with rose. Some toadshades, though, produce curious odors. Soap is what they smell like in some instances, other times, perhaps, plastic or medicine. But despite the fact that the toadshades of the Santa Cruz Mountains produce an abundance of different odors and despite the fact that several kinds of East Coast trilliums sometimes smell utterly ghoulish, the odors of toadshades in the Santa Cruz Mountains are never really bad.