4 Prof. Chas. Morren on the Cultivation q/' Vanilla. 



is that of Plumier described in the unpublished collection of. 

 his drawings as having reddish fruit (fructu corallino) and short 

 [breviori), and as having white flow ers, there is an error either 

 on the part of Plumier or of Andrews ; for the fruits of the 

 species figured as the Vanilla planifolia are extremely long (2 

 decimetres), and its flower is not white but green. 



3rd. That the Vanilla planifolia of Andrews bears fine and 

 good odoriferous fruit as long as the finest sort to be found in 

 commerce, and that consequently this species, already much 

 spread, may become very important, whether for cultivation 

 in our hot-houses or for introduction into the intertropical 

 colonies, two objects which merit as well the attention of pri- 

 vate individuals as the protection of governments. 



§ II. An Abstract of the History of the Vanilla planifolia 

 bearing large odoriferous fruits, 



I have followed Robert Brown^s ^Vermischte botanische 

 Schriften^ (vol. ii. p. 48.) in attributing (in a notice respecting 

 the indigenous Vanilla plant lately published at Brussels in 

 the Bulletins of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Belgium, 

 tom. iv. No. 5.) the introduction of Vanilla planifolia to the 

 Honourable Charles Greville in 1800; but I have learnt here, 

 at Newcastle itself, that this is a mistake. The useful Vanilla 

 plant was first introduced into Europe by the present Duke of 

 Marlborough, then Marquis of Blandford; but it is true that 

 this interesting species w^as at first cultivated in the Honour- 

 able Charles Greville's choice collection of plants at Padding- 

 ton, near London, where it flow ered for the first time, but 

 then no artificial fecundation having been performed no fruit 

 was produced. In 1807 Mr. Bauer figured a new flower of 

 this species from nature, together with one fruit ; but the co- 

 lour of the latter and its structure leave me some doubt w^hether 

 this drawing was not made from a specimen of commerce, and 

 there is nothing to authorize our believing that at this period 

 the art of producing fruits in the Orchidece was yet known. 



The Vanilla planifolia was carried in 1812 from the gar- 

 dens of Mr. Greville into.those of Belgium, and it was M. 

 Parmentier of Enghien who introduced the plant at Antwerp, 

 where it was confided to the care of Dr. Somme, the director 



