VANILLA. 145 
province of Oaxaca. It flourishes especially at Papantla, and such 
warm humid districts as Misantla, Jicaltepec near Nantla, Calipa, 
and Tuntla. Also in the States of Tabasco, Chiapas, and Yuca- 
tan. The Mexicans call this plant Telxochitl, and the Spaniards 
Baynilla. 
The writings of Kunth describe the vanilla plant as being found 
attached to trees and in the crevices of rocks in the hottest 
regions of Central America, in sheltered situations adjoining 
springs of water, on the banks of the Orinoco, near to Cari- 
chana, at the cataracts of Maypur and Atur, at Javita, and at 
Esmeralda; in New Andalusia near the Convent of Caripa, at 
San Fernando, Bardones and Carupano; in Venezuela, between 
Porto Cabello, Guayguaza, Aroa and Nueva Valencia; in the 
Valley of Capaya and near the promontory of Codera; in the 
Andes of New Grenada, Quito and Peru, near Turbaco, d’Almag- 
ner and Popayan; on the eastern slope of Mount Pichincha; in 
the valleys of Loxo and near the River Amazon, between Tome- 
penda and Jaen de Bracamoros ; in the island of Cuba, near 
Elmariel, Bahia, and in Honduras. 
A fine collection of many of the commercial varieties of vanilla 
has been lately completed at Kew, including samples from 
Réunion, Mauritius, Seychelles, Bahia, Mexico, and Java. A 
species of Vanilla from Tatia, New Granada, which has until 
recently remained unnamed in the Daniel Hanbury Herbarium at 
the Pharmaceutical Society, has been described by Rolfe from 
this specimen and from one in the Kew Herbarium as a new 
species under the name of Vanilla ensifolia, Rolfe. It is probably 
the source of some of the vanilla occasionally imported from 
South America. 
From a recent Consular Report (1892) by G. H. Portal, of 
Zanzibar, we learn that Vanilla has grown well and freely on the 
island wherever it has been planted. The priests of the French 
mission at Bagamayo, on the opposite coast, cultivate it exten- 
sively and reap a handsome profit. 
The culture and preparation of vanilla, requiring great care and 
management, are described by Jaillet in his paper above referred 
to as follows (some slight remarks from other authors being 
added, and one or two words corrected) :— 
In Mexico, plantations are established either in virgin forests 
or in open fields. In the former case it is necessary to cut down 
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