Vanilla grandifolia Lindl. 1862 SUBGENUS Xanata SECTION Tethya
Drawings by © M Allard/Geerink
Common Name The Large Leaved Vanilla
Flower Size
Found in the Gulf of Guinea Islands, Gabon and Zaire in forests at lower elevations as a large to giant sized, hot to warm growing terrestrial vine with an elongate stem carrying longly elliptic, apiculate and cuspidate, petiolae base leavees that blooms on a lax, rachis 2 to 3.2" long, 5 to 10 flowered inflorescence with yellowish flowers with purple veins.
"This species is characterized by its large, broadly elliptic to suborbicular leaves, abruptely apiculate of rather thin substance. Floral morphology suggests a close relationship with V. imperialis, with a very large rostellum and a trumpet-shaped, concave lip, which is apiculate at apex (after drawings sent by de Wildeman to Kew). Porteres´ fig. 85 (1954) shows a straight, undulate, entire lip lacking the characteristic apicule at apex." Soto Arenas & Cribb 2010
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Flore D'Afrique Centrale [Zaire- Rwands - Burundi] Orhidaceae Premeir parte Geerink 1984 drawing fide; Lankesteriana 9(3): 355-398 Soto Arenas & Cribb 2010
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