Vanilla

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Ordo: Asparagales

Familia: Orchidaceae
Subfamilia: Vanilloideae
Tribus: Vanilleae
Genus: Vanilla
Overview of species (130)

V. abundiflora – V. acuminata – V. acuta – V. africana – V. albida – V. andamanica – V. angustipetala – V. annamica – V. aphylla – V. appendiculata – V. arcuata – V. aspericaulis – V. atropogon – V. bahiana – V. barbellata – V. barrereana – V. bertoniensis – V. bicolor – V. borneensis – V. bradei – V. calyculata – V. capixaba – V. chalotii – V. chamissonis – V. claviculata – V. cobanensis – V. columbiana – V. corinnae – V. costaricensis – V. coursii – V. crenulata – V. cribbiana – V. cristagalli – V. cucullata – V. decaryana – V. decesareae – V. denshikoira – V. diabolica – V. dietschiana – V. dilloniana – V. dressleri – V. dubia – V. dungsii – V. edwallii – V. espondae – V. esquipulensis – V. fimbriata – V. francoisii – V. gardneri – V. giulianettii – V. grandifolia – V. griffithii – V. guatemalensis – V. guianensis – V. hallei – V. hamata – V. hartii – V. havilandii – V. helleri – V. heterolopha – V. hostmannii – V. humblotii – V. imperialis – V. inodora – V. insignis – V. javieri – V. kaniensis – V. karen-christianae – V. kempteriana – V. kinabaluensis – V. labellopapillata – V. leprieurii – V. madagascariensis – V. marmoreisense – V. marowynensis – V. martinezii – V. methonica – V. mexicana – V. montana – V. moonii – V. nigerica – V. norashikiniana – V. ochyrae – V. odorata – V. organensis – V. oroana – V. ovalis – V. ovata – V. palembanica – V. palmarum – V. paludosa – V. parvifolia – V. paulista – V. penicillata – V. perrieri – V. phaeantha – V. phalaenopsis – V. planifolia – V. platyphylla – V. poitaei – V. polylepis – V. pompona – V. raabii – V. ramificans – V. ramosa – V. rebecae – V. ribeiroi – V. rivasii – V. roscheri – V. ruiziana – V. sanjappae – V. sarapiquensis – V. savannarum – V. schwackeana – V. seranica – V. seretii – V. siamensis – V. somae – V. sotoarenasii – V. sprucei – V. sumatrana – V. trigonocarpa – V. utteridgei – V. vellozoi – V. walkerae – V. wariensis – V. wightii – V. yanesha – V. yersiniana – V. zanzibarica
V. decaryana - a -

Name

Vanilla Plum. ex Mill., Gard. Dict. Abr. ed. 4: s.p. (1754)

Type species: Vanilla mexicana Mill., Gard. Dict. ed. 8: n.º 1 (1768)

Synonymy

Heterotypic
Vanillophorum Neck., Elem. Bot. 3: 134 (1790), opus utique oppr.
Myrobroma Salisb., Parad. Lond.: t. 82 (1807)
Dictyophyllaria Garay, Bot. Mus. Leafl. 30: 231 (1986)

Distribution
Native distribution areas:
Vanilla

Africa
West Tropical Africa
Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierre Leone.
West-Central Tropical Africa
Central African Republic, Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gulf of Guinea Islands, Zaïre.
Northeast Tropical Africa
Ethiopia.
East Tropical Africa
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda.
South Tropical Africa
Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Southern Africa
KwaZulu-Natal.
Western Indian Ocean
Comoros, Madagascar, Seychelles.
Asia-Temperate
China
China South-Central, China Southeast.
Eastern Asia
Taiwan.
Asia-Tropical
Indian Subcontinent
Assam, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka.
Indo-China
Andaman Islands, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Nicobar Islands, Thailand, Vietnam.
Malesia
Borneo, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Islands, Peninsular Malaysia, Maluku, Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatera.
Papuasia
Papua New Guinea.
Northern America
Southeastern U.S.A.
Florida.
Mexico
Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Southwest, Mexico Southeast.
Southern America
Central America
Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama.
Caribbean
Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, Trinidad-Tobago, Windward Islands.
Northern South America
French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela.
Western South America
Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru.
Brazil
Brazil West-Central, Brazil Northeast, Brazil Southeast, Brazil North, Brazil South.
Southern South America
Argentina Northeast, Paraguay.

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Miller, P. (1754) The Gardeners Dictionary...Abridged...fourth edition.
Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.W. & Rasmussen, F.N. (eds.) 2003. Genera Orchidacearum Volume 3: Orchidoideae (Part two); page 321 ff., Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-850711-9

Additional references

Soto Arenas, M.A. & Dressler, R.L. (2010) A revision of the Mexican and Central American species of Vanilla Plumier ex Miller with a characterization of their ITS region of the nuclear ribosomal DNA. Lankesterianaa 9: 283–354.
Soto Arenas, M.A. & Cribb, P. (2010) A new infrageneric classification and synopsis of the genus Vanilla Plum. ex Mill. (Orchidaceae: Vanillinae). Lankesteriana 9: 355–398.

Links

'eFloras 2009. Vanilla in Flora of China vol. 25 Orchidaceae --> pdf Vanilla
Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Vanilla in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 April 20. Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Vanilla in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 April 20. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2020. Vanilla. Published online. Accessed: 20 April 2020.
The Plant List 2013. Vanilla in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 April 20.
Tropicos.org 2020. Vanilla. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 April 20.

Vernacular names

العربية: فانيلا (نبات)
беларуская: Ваніль
български: Ванилия
brezhoneg: Vanilha
dansk: Vanilje
Deutsch: Vanille
Ελληνικά: Βανίλια
Esperanto: Vanilo
euskara: Banilla
فارسی: وانیل (سرده)
suomi: Vaniljat
galego: Vainilla
עברית: וניל
hrvatski: Vanilija
hornjoserbsce: Wanilija
magyar: Vanília
հայերեն: Վանիլ
日本語: バニラ属
ქართული: ვანილი
перем коми: Ваниль
коми: Ваниль
lietuvių: Vanilė
македонски: Ванила
മലയാളം: വാനില
кырык мары: Ваниль
Nāhuatl: Tlīlxōchitl
norsk nynorsk: Vaniljeslekta
norsk: Vaniljeslekten
occitan: Vanilha
polski: Wanilia
پنجابی: ونیلا(رنگرتی)
Runa Simi: Waynilla
русский: Ваниль
slovenčina: Vanilka
svenska: Vaniljsläktet
తెలుగు: వెనిలా
ไทย: สกุลวานิลลา
удмурт: Ваниль
українська: Ваніль
中文: 香莢蘭屬

Vanilla, the vanilla orchids, forms a flowering plant genus of about 110 species in the orchid family (Orchidaceae). The most widely known member is the flat-leaved vanilla (V. planifolia), native to Mexico, from which commercial vanilla flavoring is derived. It is the only orchid widely used for industrial purposes in flavoring such products as foods, beverages and cosmetics, and is recognized as the most popular aroma and flavor.[2] The key constituent imparting its flavour is the phenolic aldehyde, vanillin.[3]

This evergreen genus occurs worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions, from tropical America to tropical Asia, New Guinea and West Africa.[1] Five species are known from the contiguous United States, all limited to southern Florida.[4]

The genus was established in 1754 by Plumier, based on J. Miller. The word vanilla, derived from the diminutive of the Spanish word vaina (vaina itself meaning sheath or pod), simply translates as little pod.

Description

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Flat-leaved Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) habitus

This genus of vine-like plants has a monopodial climbing habitus. They can form long thin stems with a length of more than 35 m, with alternate leaves spread along their length. The short, oblong, dark green leaves of Vanilla are thick and leathery, even fleshy in some species. But there are also a significant number of species that have their leaves reduced to scales or have become nearly or totally leafless and appear to use their green climbing stems for photosynthesis. Long and strong aerial roots grow from each node.

The racemose inflorescence's short-lived flowers arise successively on short peduncles from the leaf axils or scales. There may be up to 100 flowers on a single raceme, but usually no less than 20. The flowers are quite large and attractive with white, green, greenish yellow or cream colors. The flowers' sepals and petals are similar. The lip is tubular-shaped and surrounds the long, bristly column, opening up, as the bell of a trumpet, at its apex. The anther is at the top of the column and hangs over the stigma, separated by the rostellum. Most Vanilla flowers have a sweet scent.

Blooming occurs only when the flowers are fully grown. Each flower opens up in the morning and closes late in the afternoon on the same day, never to reopen. If pollination has not occurred meanwhile, it will be shed. The flowers are self-fertile, but need pollinators to perform this task. In the Neotropics, the flowers were historically presumed to be pollinated by stingless bees (e.g. Melipona) or hummingbirds, but this was never confirmed; the only actual documented pollination (i.e., producing seed set) is recorded for an orchid bee, Eulaema meriana, visiting Vanilla grandiflora in Peru,[5] and pollinia of Vanilla species have been observed attached to other species of Eulaema in Panama.[6] Hand pollination is the most reliable method in commercially grown vanilla.[7] Vanilla plantations require trees for the orchids to climb and anchor by its roots.[7]

The fruit is termed "vanilla bean", though true beans are fabaceous eudicots not at all closely related to orchids. Rather, the vanilla fruit is technically an elongate, fleshy and later dehiscent capsule 10–20 cm long. It ripens gradually for 8 to 9 months after flowering, eventually turning black in color and giving off a strong aroma. Each pod contains thousands of minute seeds, and both the pods and seeds within are used to create vanilla flavoring. Vanilla beans are harvested by hand from commercial orchards.[7]

Vanilla species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, such as the woolly bear moths Hypercompe eridanus and H. icasia. Off-season or when abandoned, they may serve as habitat for animals of open forest, e.g. on the Comoros for Robert Mertens's day gecko (Phelsuma robertmertensi).
Selected species

The taxonomy of the genus Vanilla is complex.[8]

see List of Vanilla species

This is a partial list of species or synonyms:
Pompona vanilla (Vanilla pompona)

Vanilla albida
Vanilla andamanica
Vanilla aphylla Blume – Leafless vanilla
Vanilla atropogon
Vanilla bahiana
Vanilla barbellata – Small bearded vanilla, wormvine orchid, "leafless vanilla"
Vanilla chamissonis Klotzsch – Chamisso's vanilla
Vanilla claviculata – Green withe
Vanilla dilloniana – Dillon's vanilla, "leafless vanilla"
Vanilla edwallii – Edwall's vanilla
Vanilla humblotii
Vanilla mexicana Mill. – Mexican vanilla
Vanilla moonii
Vanilla odorata C.Presl – Inflated vanilla
Vanilla phaeantha – Leafy vanilla
Vanilla pilifera Holttum
Vanilla planifolia Andrews – Flat-leaved vanilla, Tahitian vanilla, "West Indian vanilla"
Vanilla poitaei – Poiteau's vanilla
Vanilla polylepis
Vanilla pompona Schiede – Pompona vanilla, Guadeloupe vanilla, "West Indian vanilla"
Vanilla raabii
Vanilla roscheri
Vanilla shenzhenica
Vanilla siamensis – Thai vanilla
Vanilla somae
Vanilla tahitensis
Vanilla walkeriae[9]

Aroma and flavor
Main article: Vanilla
See also: Vanilla extract

Regarded as the world's most popular aroma and flavor,[10] vanilla contains the phenolic aldehyde, vanillin, as well as anisaldehyde, together accounting for its predominant sensory characteristics.[3] Vanilla is a widely used aroma and flavor compound for foods, beverages and cosmetics,[2][10] as indicated by its popularity as an ice cream flavor.[11]
References

"World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew". kew.org.
Sinha, A. K.; Sharma, U. K.; Sharma, N (2008). "A comprehensive review on vanilla flavor: Extraction, isolation and quantification of vanillin and others constituents". International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. 59 (4): 299–326. doi:10.1080/09687630701539350. PMID 17886091. S2CID 37559260.
Takahashi M, Inai Y, Miyazawa N, Kurobayashi Y, Fujita A (2013). "Identification of the key odorants in Tahitian cured vanilla beans (Vanilla tahitensis) by GC-MS and an aroma extract dilution analysis". Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 77 (3): 601–5. doi:10.1271/bbb.120840. PMID 23470766. S2CID 39521387.
"Vanilla in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". efloras.org.
Lubinsky P, Van Dam M, Van Dam A (2006) Pollination of Vanilla and evolution in Orchidaceae. Lindleyana. 75:926–929
Ackerman, J.D. 1983. Specificity and mutual dependency of the orchid–euglossine bee interaction. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 20:301–314
Mauseth, James (2016). Botany: An Introduction To Plant Biology, 6th edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning. p. 656. ISBN 978-1284123586.
Bory, Séverine; Michel Grisoni; Marie-France Duval; Pascale Besse (July 21, 2007). "Biodiversity and preservation of vanilla: present state of knowledge". Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. Springer Netherlands. 55 (4): 551–571. doi:10.1007/s10722-007-9260-3. ISSN 1573-5109. S2CID 34673230.
"GRIN Species Records of Vanilla". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
Rain, Patricia (2004). Vanilla: The Cultural History of the World's Most Popular Flavor and Fragrance. Tarcher. ISBN 9781585423637.
"Vanilla remains top ice cream flavor with Americans". International Dairy Foods Association, Washington, DC. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2016.