VANILLA PLANTS

PLANT

V. Planifolia can be described as a fleshy perennial vine that has green stems. The vines can live for a long time and some species can reach 60 meters (200 feet) long. The diameter of the stem increases as the plant grows. Vanilla is semi-epiphytic. This means it can be rooted in the ground , and of being able to grow on other plants with no any direct contact with the soil.

LEAVES

V. planifolia grows in a lush, colorful, brightly green leaves. The mature leaves vary in size, ranging from 8-25cm (3-14 inches) long and 2-8cm (0.75-3 inch) wide. They’re oval or lanceolate with pointed tips, and last for 3-4 years. Certain varieties of V. planifolia are characterized by variegated leaves. They are typically used for decorative purposes.

FRUIT AND FLOWERS

V. planifolia flower is large and sweet. Sepals of waxy cream-green appear on axillary inflorescences. V. pompona flowers are characteristically yellow in comparison to V. planifolia. The flowers can grow to 6-8 centimeters (2.5 to 3 inches) in length, and 5-10 cm (2 to 4 inches) in the diameter. Two petals have a similar appearance as the sepals. The third flower is transformed into a lip. The lip-shaped petal is composed of two pollinia (pollen masses) and the stigma set on columns. A structure located within the stigma as well as the pollinia known as the rostellum effectively blocks auto-pollination.

The flowers appear in clusters that are axillary, with the possibility of a few or more flowers per cluster, known as racemes. The first flowers appear around 2 years after the planting of new plants. Vanilla flowers on larger vines once the diameter exceeds 6-13 millimetres (0.25-0.5 inch). In most cases, one to three flowers may open at the same time and usually in the morning. Flowering typically occurs in a span of approximately two months once per year, however, each V. planifolia bloom lasts just one day. The flowers of other vanilla species may be more long than V. planifolia.

Following pollination, the egg expands and produces a capsule (bean) which can grow to around 20 centimeters (8 inches) in length. It can take between 8-9 months for the fruit to mature. Vanilla beans are stuffed with thousands of tiny black round seeds. When they reach maturity, the beans will split by two longitudinal seams which exposes the seeds, and ruin it for use in commercial use.

ROOTS

Vanilla is a plant that produces two kinds of roots, including aerial along with terrestrial (ground) roots. They are typically nonbranching, and they are created on the stem in the opposite direction to the leaves. They are used to help support the vine’s climb and therefore are very efficient in securing supporting structures or plants. Terrestrial roots usually occur near the base of the vine. They they are branched and have hairs on the roots that are typically connected to mycorrhizae. Similar to many other roots of the terrestrial, their main function that these are playing is absorption of water and nutrients out of the soil.

POLLINATION

Auto-pollination in V. planifolia flowers is uncommon to absent in regions in which native pollinators (bees and possibly Hummingbirds) do not exist. Although not native to the area, this orchid bee Euglossa dilemma (Figure 2) is now established in the southern part of Florida and is possibly an orchid pollinator in vanilla orchids. Our observations in natural habitats show that vanilla species native to the area will produce pods in the absence the manual process of pollination (Figure 3.). One theory is that an orchid native pollinator from southern Florida may be able to pollinate the V. planifolia flowers, thus reducing the requirement to manually pollinate.