In a natural setting, these orchid flowers are pollinated by bees and hummingbirds. Some may have a trumpet-shaped lip similar to that of a Cattleya orchid. Depending on the orchid species or variety, the blooms of Vanilla orchids can be white, cream, yellow-green, or light green. They typically don’t last long but bloom in succession for weeks up to months. The flowers of a Vanilla orchid shoot off from dense raceme type inflorescence, which can bear up to two dozen flowers each and which bloom in the morning. They are climbing vines that branch out and have little foliage and roots at each node that attach themselves to trunks of trees or a stake. Vanilla orchids are monopodial in growth. Although many experts claim that they originated from Mesoamerica, including Mexico and Guatemala. At least 100 Vanilla orchid species are scattered all over the globe and can be found in both the Old World and the New World tropics. The orchid genus was established in 1754 by Plumier, based on J. The well-hidden secret was revealed to the whole world after Spanish colonization and has even reached Queen Elizabeth I, who reportedly loved vanilla puddings later in life. They wrote recipes calling the use of the orchid plant to cure an infection and for flavoring chocolate. In it, the Aztecs referred to Vanilla orchid in their native tongue, Nahuatl, as tlilxochitl. One of the earliest orchid plants known to man, the first ever mention of Vanilla orchids appeared in the Badianus Manuscript of 1552, an herbal book of the ancient Aztecs, which based on Tim Ecott’s book, Vanilla: Travels in Search of the Ice Cream Orchid, was secretly hidden in the Vatican library until the 20 th century.
They had difficulty identifying which plant the flavorful beans were from. Vanilla was derived from the Spanish word " vanilla," which means little pods.įor centuries, this evasive orchid plant has left the botanists of Europe baffled. While other orchid plants charm with their exquisite and showy blooms, Vanilla orchids are well-loved for an entirely different reason: their sweet and delicious flavor and fragrance. Origin: Mesoamerica, including Mexico and Guatemala.Ĭolor: Flowers of Vanilla orchids can come in white, cream, yellow-green, or light green.
Number of recognized species: 110 recognized species
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