Stats

Lifespan: Up to 30 yrs
Size: Large
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Tropical rainforest
Range: Central America
Movement: Climbing
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Endangered

About

The tropical orchid vine behind the world's most popular flavor — its long green seed pods are hand-pollinated in most growing regions because the native bee pollinators don't exist outside Mexico. Vanilla planifolia can climb up to 30 meters, gripping host trees with fleshy aerial roots as it reaches for the forest canopy.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Genus: Vanilla
Species: Vanilla planifolia