WorldFloraDB - Vanilla pompona

Characteristics

Scandent, branched, leafy herbs. Leaves 10-30 cm. long and 3.5-9 cm. broad, variable in shape, narrowly elliptic-oblong or elliptic-lanceolate to lanceo-late-ovate, rarely obovate-lanceolate, often oblique, acute or obtuse, coriaceous. Inflorescence up to about 16 cm. long, several-flowered, a'xillary; bracts about 1 cm. long, lanceolate to ovate, obtuse or acute, cucullate. Sepals 7-8.5 cm. long, linear-elliptic to narrowly oblanceolate, obtuse or acute. Petals similar to the sepals or a little smaller. Lip 7-8.5 cm. long and 2.5-4 cm. broad, obovate-lanceolate to obovate, unguiculate, crenulate at least toward the apex, with a tuft of hair in the center of the disc. Column up to about 6 cm. long. Capsule ("bean") about 15 cm. long, fusiform.

More

An orchid. It is like vanilla but has larger leaves and flowers and shorter, thicker pods. The vine has aerial roots to climb. It can be 5 m long. The leaves are fleshy and 10-30 cm long by 6-10 cm wide. The flowers are greenish-white. They are in groups in the axils of leaves. The fruit is spindle shaped and 1.5 cm long. They contain many seeds.

Life form	perennial
Growth form	herb
Growth support	climber
Foliage retention
Sexuality	hermaphrodite
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Nitrogen fixer	-
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Environment

Brush woods and half-shady places in low country. On trees and shrubs in forests at elevations up to 1,000 metres in Guatemala.

More

A tropical plant. It grows in forests.

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Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

The pods are used for flavouring.

Uses	food gene source medicinal
Edible	fruits pods seeds
Therapeutic use	Spice (unspecified)
Human toxicity	-
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.

Mode	seedlings
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