She gives us culinary and visual moments of happiness. Vanilla not only thrives as one of the few orchids with edible components, but also enchants with lavish blooms. This profile introduces you to the outstanding properties of vanilla, which are not limited to the aromatic pods.
Vanilla is native to Central America and Madagascar
Appearance and system at a glance
Real vanilla is the most expensive spice in the world after saffron. This is hardly surprising, given the complex cultivation of the terrestrial orchid and the lengthy processing of its pods into valuable Bourbon vanilla. The following profile shows the interesting attributes the plant has:
- Genus within the orchid family (Orchidaceae)
- Evergreen perennial terrestrial climbers
- Growth length of the tendrils in the wild up to 30 meters
- Climbing height from 10 to 15 meters
- Native to Madagascar and Central America, today in all tropical regions worldwide
- Best-known species: Spice vanilla (Vanilla planifolia)
- Dark green, oval leaves, 20 to 30 centimeters long
- Cream-yellow, white or green-yellow, intensely fragrant flower clusters in the leaf axils
- Lifespan of a single flower is 8 hours
- Narrow, long capsule fruits 8-9 months after fertilization
- Release numerous dark, black shiny seeds
With each leaf, the vanilla orchid produces an aerial root. This acts as an adhesive organ, as the plant uses it to hold on to its substrate. In this way, it achieves the impressive size in its habitat. While the magnificent flowers exude an enchanting scent, the vanilla pods only develop the longed-for aroma over the course of months of processing.
There is a risk of itching if it comes into contact with the skin
Although the vanilla orchid provides us with the popular spice, the plant is not completely harmless. The flowers and leaves contain a slightly toxic plant sap, which can cause skin irritation in sensitive people and frequent contact. An unpleasant itch develops, from which the plantation workers in the cultivation countries are tormented if they do not take protective measures.
tips
The high price of real vanilla is partly due to the fact that the orchid usually has to be pollinated manually. Outside of their area of origin, special bee and hummingbird species are not native as pollinators. At the time of flowering, legions of experienced plantation workers go out to carry out pollination using plant spikes from cacti, orange or bamboo trees.