Vanilla planifolia Jacks. ex Andrews 1808 Photo courtesy of © Richard Gautier and his Guadeloupe Orchid Page

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Common Name Commercial Vanilla - The Flat Plane Leafed Vanilla

Flower Size 2 1/2" [6 cm]

Found in Florida, the West Indies, Central America and Northern South America in tropical wet forests at lower elevations as a large sized, warm to hot growing, scandent epiphyte with a green, terete, fleshy, branching stem carrying numerous, fleshy, elliptic-oblong or ovate-elliptic, acute to subacuminate, gradually narrowing below into the basally clasping leaves spaced at intervals all along the stem that blooms on short 2" to 2 3/4" [5 to 7 cm] long, axillary, subsessile, racemose, several [to 20] flowered inflorescence that has broadly ovate-triangular, acute bracts and has the fleshy, fragrant, short-lived flowers opening in succession occuring throughout the year if well grown and it's seedpods are used to produce the essence of Vanilla. This species is often found in conjunction with ants and may benefit from their presence.

Synonyms Myrobroma fragrans Salisb. 1807; Notylia planifolia (Jacks. ex Andrews) Conz. 1947; Notylia sativa (Schiede) Conz. 1947; Notylia sylvestris (Schiede) Conz. 1947; Vanilla duckei Huber 1909; Vanilla fragrans (Salisb.) Ames 1924; Vanilla hirsuta M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones 1996; Vanilla sativa Schiede 1829; Vanilla sylvestris Schiede 1829; Vanilla tahitensis J.W.Moore 1933; Vanilla tiarei Costantin & Bois 1915; Vanilla viridiflora Bl. 1825;

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI Orchidaceae Urban 1909; AOS Bulletin Vol 26 No 2 1957; AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 6 1958; AOS Bulletin Vol 28 No 5 1959; AOS Bulletin Vol 38 No 5 1969 photo; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 1 1969; AOS Bulletin Vol 39 No 4 1970 photo; Orquideologia Vol 12 No 1 1977; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 354 Dodson 1980; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 1194 Dodson 1984; AOS Bulletin Vol 56 No 5 1987 photo; Orchid Australia Vol 12 No 4 2000 photo; Orchidaceae Antillanae Nir 2000; Australian Orchid Review Vol 66 No 5 2001 photo; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 796 Bennett & Christenson 2001; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 8 2004; The Orchids of Cuba Llamacho & Larramendi 2005; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 5 2006 photo; Orquideas de la Serrania del Baudo Misas Urreta 2006; Orchid Digest Vol 72 No 3 2008 photo; Orchid Species Of Peru Zelenko & Bermudez 2009 photo fide

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