Did you know that vanilla is an essence that comes from vanilla orchids? If you did not, you know now. The vanilla that you love so much in your cake and ice cream is derived from a beautiful orchid species from the Vanilla genus and is grown in Mexico.  The meaning of vanilla is Spanish – the language spoken in Mexico – is ‘the little pod’.

Some Not So Well Known Facts About The Vanilla Planifolia

Did you know that vanilla (Vanilla planifolia – its Latin name) is the only agriculturally profitable by-product derived from orchids? No other orchid produces an agriculturally important crop.  All others are valued by their show quality rather than agricultural value.

The vanilla orchids grow as a huge vine which often exceeds one hundred feet in length. This huge plant gives some tiny pods as fruit and there you are – you find the vanilla essence there.

The orchids as a plant family are one of the oldest flowering plants in the world as well as the largest.

The vanilla essence is not a modern discovery; it was well known to the Aztecs for flavoring another popular food, the cocoa drink.

A Brief Description Of The Vanilla Orchids

You will find the vanilla orchids normally growing in tropical forests. You would recognize these flowers by their typical light green color which open very early in the morning for pollination by bees and hummingbirds, though there is no trace of the vanilla essence at this stage.

The flowers which are hermaphroditic (contain both female and male parts which are divided by a thin membrane to prevent self pollination) will develop into little pods after they are pollinated with each pod containing thousands of small black seeds. These pods are long and thin very similar to the string beans but quite smaller in comparison.

Since the flower does not develop into a fruit unless it is pollinated, artificial pollination needs to be done in places where natural means are not available. It takes the pod about one month to mature and once they are fully developed they are harvested and dried. The curing of the vanilla pods would at last give you the aroma that is so much loved and used throughout the world.

The vine grows huge in length and has the tendency of growing upwards therefore every year after the harvest the farmers get the vine pushed downwards to keep it ‘within hand’s reach’. This process – it was observed – increases the flowering capacity of the vanilla orchids.

Vanilla Orchid Photo Credit : Everglades National Park

Tags: Vanilla Orchids, Vanilla Planifolia

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