171 
* 
Jamaica, published in 1707, he further observes :—“It is said by 
several that they grow in this island abont Aqua-alta, and that before 
the felling of timber and clearing groun , they were common in the 
shady bottoms of the inland parts of this ant oe ite 180), 80 
that it was evidently duda on hearsay evidence, and probably the 
e V. inodora (V. anaromatica, Griseb.) was mistaken for V. 
planifoli 
In 1708, Plumier briefly defined the genus ee and three ACD 
from the West Indies (Nov. Pl. inen Gen., p. mely :—* V. flor 
viridi et albo, fructu nigrescente ; V. flore albo, fruetu breviori, 
corallino "; and * V. flore violaceo, fructu breviori, rubro." The first is 
rubri.” This third species evidently does not belong to the genus. 
This was the first record of the flowers, but curiously enough no 
mention is made of the Mexican plant or its uses—merely the brief note 
t Vanilla is the name by which the plants are known to the 
Spaniards. 
In 1705 Merian figured the fruiting branch of a Surinam species, 
calling it the greatest sort of Banille (Metamorph. Insect. Surinam., 
t. 25). "This is evidently V. Pompona, uM in the text it is confounded 
with other species, as in ee reco A second sort, however, is 
said to gr ow in Surinam which m may have ‘been V. inedora. 
observed, introduced to Gilgit 
very early in the even asenith cent tory. The second volume of Miller’s 
Gardeners’ Dictionary appeared in 1739. There the author remarked 
that he had some pem of the plant, gathered by Mr. Robert Millar 
at Campeachy, and sent between papers by way of sample, and as 
the terms cien fresh, though gathered at least four months, he 
planted them in small pots and plunged them in a hotbed of tanner’s 
bark, where they soon put e leaves and roots. It is probable that 
they were soon afterwards los 
Shortly afterwards Cibi gave a good coloured figure of V. i 
dora, including flowers and fru ruit, but p his remarks iiey 
confounded it with the true economic plan 
Thus three distinct species had iine confased together, and these 
are all included by Linnzus, in his Bonet Plantarum, i in 1753, under 
tbe name of Zpidendrum Vanilla (p. 952 
In 1775 Aublet — an aceount of the Vanilla (Hist. Pl, Guian.. 
Franç. II., Mem. 4, pp. 77-85), remarking that in Cayenne there were 
three kinds of vanilla, known as “Great Vanilla, Little V. anilla, and Lon 
Vanilla. The first is V. Pompona and the last V. ‘aap but the Little 
anila is somewhat. doubtful. He describes the pods as about 3 
inches long by 1} thick. . V. pheantha has not pei stout a 
and.is not known from Guiana, otherwise it best agrees with the 
description, _ Although instructions for cultivating “the plant and 
preparing the fruit are given, it is evident that Aublet knew very little 
of the different species, as he says that the fruits of all the three kinds 
are susceptible to the same treatment, acquire the same odour, more or 
less sweet, and may be prt to the same use. 
A 2 
