272 



N. Ord. ORCHIDE.E. Lindl., Veg. K., p. 173; Lc Maout & Dec., 

 p. 769. 



Tribe Arethusets. 



Genus Vanilla,* Swartz. Lindley, Orchidaceous Plants, p. 434. 

 Species 12, natives of tropical America. 



272. Vanilla planifolia, Andrews, Bot. Repository, t. 538 (1808). 

 Vanilla. Baynilla (Mexico). 



i. V. claviculata, Swartz. V. sylvestris? and V. sativa, Schiede. 

 Y. viridiflora, Blume. Myrobroma fragrans, Salisb. 



Figures. Hayne, xiv, t. 22 ; Berg & Sch., t. 23 a, b; Bot. Rep., t. 533; 

 Salisb., Parad., t. 82 ; Blume, Rumphia, t. 68. 



Description. A fleshy, somewhat succulent, dark-green peren- 

 nial climber, adhering to trees by its aerial roots, which are 

 produced from the nodes, 5 or 6 inches long, simple, and covered 

 with hairs at the middle portion. Stem cylindrical, slender, 

 solid, fleshy, smooth, dark green, branched, very long. Leaves 

 alternate, sessile, 4 6 inches long, oval, attenuate at the apex, 

 narrowed into the slightly sheathing base, persistent, thick and 

 tough, dark green, slightly paler beneath, veins invisible. Flowers 

 2 inches across, pale yellowish-green, sessile, in lax axillary spikes 

 of 8 10 ; axis fleshy, pale green, tapering; bracts short, trian- 

 gular, green. Perianth fleshy, articulated with the ovary which 

 looks like a stalk to the flower, deciduous, of 6 leaves in two 

 rows, outer row (sepals) free to the base, nearly equal, erect and 

 slightly spreading, lanceolate-oblong, acute, with a central rib, 

 inner row (petals) alternating with the last, and the two lateral 

 ones similar to them in size and form, the anterior (labellum) very 

 different, concave, combined at the base with the column, and 

 with it forming a somewhat funnel-shaped tube, margin faintly 

 bifid, finely crenate, recurved on all sides and crisped, yellow, tube 

 warted within the orifice, and furnished about halfway down 

 with a crest of small, transversely-placed, flat, triangular scales, 



* Vanilla is the diminutive of the Spanish vaina, a pod. 



