554  Epiphytic  Character  of  the  Vanilla  Plant \^'^^xxa' 
Maisch  has  so  fully  identified  and  classified  it,  the  growing  of  the 
plant  seems  unnecessary  for  purposes  of  identification. 
Note  by  the  Editor. — One  of  the  roots,  apparently  in  good  con- 
dition, which  had  been  kindly  furnished  by  Prof.  Sayre,  was  planted, 
but  likewise  failed  to  grow. 
THE  EPIPHYTIC  CHARACTER  OF  THE  VANILLA  PLANT. 
Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  Oct.  18. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy  : 
Dear  Sir. — In  the  July  issue  of  the  "  American  Journal  of  Phar- 
macy "  and  afterward  in  "  The  American  Druggist  "  there  appeared 
an  article  by  Mr.  Geo.  M.  Beringer,  Ph.G.,  entitled  "  Some  Com- 
mercial Vanillas."  In  this  article  Mr.  Beringer  quotes  from  a  cir- 
cular letter  issued  by  us  in  1890  wherein  we  describe  the  vanilla 
plant  as  a  parasite.  He  remarks  this  error  is  being  repeated,  and, 
singularly,  by  such  an  authority  as  the  "  Encyclopedia  Britannica," 
and  says,  "  while  epiphyte  in  its  character,  clinging  to  forest  trees 
for  support,  it  is  not  parasitic,  obtaining  its  support  principally 
through  its  aerial  roots,  which  drop  to  the  ground,  and  in  many  of 
the  cultivations  of  the  islands  of  the  Indian  Ocean  the  plants  are 
supported  for  a  considerable  length  upon  rude  trellises." 
We  beg  to  differ  with  Mr.  Beringer  on  this  subject,  and  feel  sure 
that  he  is  in  error  and  not  the  "  Encyclopedia  Britannica  "  or  our- 
selves. When  Mr.  Beringer's  article  first  appeared  we  received 
letters  calling  our  attention  to  the  discrepancy  in  our  circular  and 
Mr.  Beringer's  article,  asking  for  fuller  particulars  in  regard  to  the 
point  at  issue.  Hesitating  to  reply  at  once,  lest  our  former  informa- 
tion and  knowledge  in  regard  to  the  plant  might  be  at  fault,  we 
have  gone  to  some  trouble  to  prove  the  accuracy  of  our  statement 
that  the  vanilla  plant  is  a  parasite,  and  to  this  point  we  have,  there- 
fore, correspondence  from  our  friends  in  Mexico,  Messrs.  Montessoro 
and  Scagno,  of  Getierres-Zamora,  and  Mr.  L.  S.  Silvera,  of 
Papantia,  to  verify  our  statement  that  the  plant  is  a  parasite.  They 
state  that  they  have  often  cut  the  vanilla  plant  five  or  six  feet  above 
the  root,  and  that  it  lives  from  the  sap  of  the  tree  after  the  root  is 
cut  for  two  or  three  years,  but  by  that  time  its  rootlets  grow  down 
to  the  ground  again,  the  plant  bearing  flowers  and  fruit  all  the  time. 
On  the  other  hand,  when  the  tree  upon  which  the  plant  attaches 
