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Like all members of the genus ''Vanilla'', ''V. planifolia'' is a vine. It uses its fleshy roots to support itself as it grows. Flowers are greenish-yellow, with a diameter of 5 cm (2 in). They last only a day, and must be [[pollinated]] manually, during the morning, if fruit is desired. The plants are [[self-fertilization|self-fertile]], and pollination simply requires a transfer of the pollen from the [[anther]] to the stigma. If pollination does not occur, the flower is dropped the next day. In the wild, there is less than 1% chance that the flowers will be pollinated, so in order to receive a steady flow of fruit, the flowers must be hand-pollinated when grown on farms. Hand pollinators can pollinate about 1,000 flowers per day. Fruit is produced only on mature plants, which are generally over 3 m (10 ft) long. The fruits are 15-23 cm (6-9 in) long pods (often incorrectly called beans). They mature after about five months, at which point they are harvested and [[curing (food preservation)|cured]]. Curing ferments and dries the pods while minimizing the loss of [[essential oil]]s. [[Vanilla extract]] is obtained from this portion of the plant. {{Inc| Vanilla planifolia, Andr. (V. aromatica, Willd., in part). Common Vanilla. Vanilla Bean (from the pods). Tall climbing herbs with stout sts.: lvs. thick, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, with short, stout petioles: fls. yellow, large, in axillary racemes of 20 or more blossoms; sepals and petals oblanceolate; labellum trumpet-shaped, with small, reflexed, crenulate lobes. Winter. A native of Mex., but widely cult. throughout the tropics and in greenhouses.—Partially epiphytic. }} ==Cultivation== <!--- Type cultivation info below this line, then delete this entire line --> ===Propagation=== <!--- Type propagation info below this line, then delete this entire line --> ===Pests and diseases=== <!--- Type pest/disease info below this line, then delete this entire line --> ==Species== <!-- This section should be renamed Cultivars if it appears on a page for a species (rather than genus), or perhaps Varieties if there is a mix of cultivars, species, hybrids, etc --> ==Gallery== {{photo-sources}}<!-- remove this line if there are already 3 or more photos in the gallery --> <gallery> Image:Vanilla planifolia.jpg|Flat-leaved Vanilla Image:Koeh-278-Vanilla planifolia Jacks.jpg|Koehler's Medicinal-Plants 1887 Image:Upload.png| upload photo Image:Upload.png| upload photo </gallery> ==References== *[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963 <!--- xxxxx *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381 --> <!--- xxxxx *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432 --> <!--- xxxxx *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608 --> ==External links== *{{wplink}} {{stub}} __NOTOC__
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