159. ORCHID ACILE. [6. Vanilla. 



adnate to the base of the column, sessile or sub-clawed, usually narrow, 

 entire or 2-fid or 3-lobed with a very short saccate or spur. Column 

 somewhat clavate upwards and cupular at the top, anther hinged on 

 the back of the column and base resting in the hollow at the top, 

 2-celled, rostellum short, pollinia 2 or 4, pollen granular ; stigma 

 single transversely oblong. 



1. P. flabelliformis, Lindl. 



A curious little orchid with the scape arising from the top of a sub- 

 globose white tuber about 1" diam. followed by a cordate-based 

 ovate-acuminate or orbicular leaf 4 -5-5 -5" diam. with 18-20 stronger 

 nerves and as many or more finer intermediate ones ; petiole 6-11" 

 long. Flowers green -1" long, spreading and drooping. Sepals -6" 

 erect connivent lanceolate-linear acute, petals -5" similar, but with 

 faintly brown nerves. Lip very narrow -5" straight, neither saccate 

 nor spurred, sometimes slightly gibbous, side-lobes embracing the 

 column white, brown-veined midlobe white flat projecting • 15" 

 beyond the side-lobes, ovate but not constricted at base, palate hairy 

 with 3 green veins. Column -3". Ovary very short, -2", winged. 



Ranchi, Ichadagh, 2500 ft. ! Palamau, Neterhat, 3000 ft. ! Rajmahal Hills 

 Kurz ! Fl. May- June. Leaf not fully developed until September. 



The leaves show two forms : a very orbicular one with a somewhat trumpet- 

 shaped base decurrent on the petiole and a more ovate-acuminate one with the 

 base less decurrent. These may be different species or varieties, the orbicular- 

 leaved one being the true flabelliformis, but the flowers described above belong to 

 the narrower-leaved form without doubt as the flowering plant was grown on by 

 me in a pot until its leaf developed. 



Scape with 2-3 loose pale distant sheaths 1" long on the peduncle. 



6. VANILLA, Swartz. 



Climbing almost shrubby orchids rooting from the nodes, branches 

 with long internodes terete or angled. Leaves broad or reduced to 

 scales, subsessile, coriaceous or fleshy. Flowers large in terminal and 

 axillary short-peduncled racemes. Sepals and petals subequal 

 spreading. Lip with the claw adnate to the column Avhich is embraced 

 by its broad concave limb. Column elongate ; anther incumbent 

 (pendulous), cells separate, pollen granular. Capsule long, fleshy, 

 1 -celled, loculicidally 3-valved, without septa. 



1. V. planifolia, Andr. Vanilla. 



A suflruticose climber rooting in the ground but soon entirely 

 dependent on its adventitious roots and becoming epiphj^tic. Leaves 

 4—9" by 1*5-2 -5" broad elliptic-oblong or lanceolate-oblong cuspidate 

 with very short sheathing petiole. Racemes 2-3". Pedicels 1 • 5-2". 

 Flowers 1-2" pale greenish or greenish-white with nerves of lip yellow, 

 emitting a delicious fragrance at night. Sep. and pet. linear-lanceo- 

 late. Pod 6-10" long and -5" diam., obtusely 3-gonous. 



Cultivated in Ranchi ! Fl. Feb.-April. Xative of Mexico. 



The well-known flavouring essence is derived from the fermented and dried 

 pods and is due to vanillin, CgHsO, secreted at first by the hairlike papillse lining 

 the three interior angles of the pod and ultimately diffused through the oily seed 

 covering. The flowers require artificial polUnation (in Ranchi), and are then said to 



1163 



