On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. This article needs additional citations for vanilla buttercream icing. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This evergreen genus occurs worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions, from tropical America to tropical Asia, New Guinea and West Africa.

The genus was established in 1754 by Plumier, based on J. This section needs additional citations for verification. This genus of vine-like plants has a monopodial climbing habitus. They can form long thin stems with a length of more than 35 m, with alternate leaves spread along their length. The short, oblong, dark green leaves of Vanilla are thick and leathery, even fleshy in some species.

The racemose inflorescence’s short-lived flowers arise successively on short peduncles from the leaf axils or scales. There may be up to 100 flowers on a single raceme, but usually no less than 20. The flowers are quite large and attractive with white, green, greenish yellow or cream colors. Blooming occurs only when the flowers are fully grown.

Each flower opens up in the morning and closes late in the afternoon on the same day, never to reopen. If pollination has not occurred meanwhile, it will be shed. The flowers are self-fertile, but need pollinators to perform this task. The fruit is termed “vanilla bean”, though true beans are fabaceous eudicots not at all closely related to orchids. Vanilla species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, such as the woolly bear moths Hypercompe eridanus and H.

See List of Vanilla species The taxonomy of the genus Vanilla is complex. Regarded as the world’s most popular aroma and flavor, vanilla contains the phenolic aldehyde, vanillin, as well as anisaldehyde, together accounting for its predominant sensory characteristics. World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew”. A comprehensive review on vanilla flavor: Extraction, isolation and quantification of vanillin and others constituents”. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. GC-MS and an aroma extract dilution analysis”. Pollination of Vanilla and evolution in Orchidaceae.

Botany: An Introduction To Plant Biology, 6th edition. Biodiversity and preservation of vanilla: present state of knowledge”. Vanilla remains top ice cream flavor with Americans”. International Dairy Foods Association, Washington, DC. Wikispecies has information related to Vanilla. Do You Know the Benefits of Walking? Have at-Home Tests for the Flu?

Bourbon Vanilla, Common Vanilla, Madagascar Vanilla, Mexican Vanilla, Réunion Vanilla, Tahitian Vanilla, Tahiti Vanilla, Vainilla, Vanilla planifolia, Vanilla tahitensis, Vanille, Vanille Bourbon, Vanille de Bourbon, Vanille de Madagascar, Vanille du Mexique, Vanille de Tahiti, Vanillin. Because vanilla extract can be expensive, lab-produced vanillin is usually used as a substitute for vanilla. Vanilla contains chemicals that are high in flavor and fragrance, but it is not known how it works for medicinal uses. More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of vanilla for these uses. When applied to the skin: There isn’t enough reliable information to know if vanilla is safe.