CHAPTER II 
VANILLA 
Vanilla is the product of a climbing orchid, a native 
of Central America. There are two species in cultiva- 
tion or use producing this spice — Vanilla planifolia, 
An dr., the true Mexican vanilla, with long, slender 
pods, and V. pompona^ Schiede, West Indian vanilla, 
with short, thick pods. There are a few other species 
which have more or less fragrant pods, but none of 
which ever seem to have been valued as spices. 
The most extensively cultivated species is V. 
planifolia, a native of South-eastern Mexico, British 
Honduras, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. This plant has 
been introduced into all parts of the tropics, and has 
been cultivated extensively in the Seychelles, Reunion, 
Mauritius, Java, Tahiti, the Fiji Islands, and the West 
Indies. 
The plant is a tall climber, with very long, flexuous, 
succulent green stems, which put out twining white 
aerial roots opposite the leaves, by which it clings to 
trees, etc. The leaves are nearly sessile, oblong, acute, 
succulent, bright green, 4 to 9 in. long, and 1|- to 2^ 
in. wide. The flower racemes are axillary, 2 or 3 in. 
long, with numerous oblong, concave bracts. The 
flowers are about 4 in. across, and borne on pedicels 
1|- to 2 in. long. The sepals and petals are linear 
oblong, 2 in. in length, and pale green. The trumpet- 
shaped lip is shorter and also pale green, rolled up 
round the column and united with it, the tip three- 
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