Vanilla planifolia, an orchid that won't leave you cold

Native to Mexico and Belize, the vanilla plant, Vanilla planifolia, is cultivated mainly for its aromatic pods. But this orchid can also become a spectacularly large ornamental plant.

Vanilla planifolia is a climbing plant. In the wild, it has a spread of up to two meters, and its vines can reach 30 meters. In pots, its size is less imposing. But this orchid can still reach a height of four meters indoors, and ten in a greenhouse or conservatory.

Vanilla develops aerial roots to cling to trees. Its cylindrical stems are dotted with light-green blades, mounted on short petioles. Each blade measures between 10 and 35 centimetres long and two to eight centimetres wide. The leaves are oval, flat and fleshy, and live for several years.

The vanilla orchid blooms in autumn and winter. Waxy green-yellow flowers appear in groups of eight to fifteen. Composed of three sepals, two elongated petals and a labellum, they have the symmetry of orchid flowers. But while the flowers of bamboo Orchid or the Cymbidium orchid live for several weeks, those of the Vanilla planifolia only last a few hours. They open in the morning, just long enough for the bees to pollinate them, and close again in the evening.

Once fertilized, the flowers give rise to the fruit, an elongated green pod fifteen centimetres long. At this stage, the pods are odorless. It's during the ripening process that vanilla releases its aromas.

Like other orchids, Vanilla planifolia is not toxic. It is the only variety whose fruit is cultivated and consumed on a large scale. Vanilla, produced from its pods, is one of the world's most expensive and widely consumed condiments. This craze is not new. As far back as 1500 BC, the Aztecs added a little vanilla to their chocolate to sweeten it.

Over the centuries, vanilla's uses have diversified. It is used in cooking, to flavour cakes, drinks and cocktails. The orchid is also sought after in traditional medicine for its relaxing and sometimes aphrodisiac virtues. Since the 18th century, the plant has made its appearance in the perfume and cosmetics industries.