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Useful Tropical Plants

Vanilla pompona

Schiede

Orchidaceae

+ Synonyms

Notylia pompona (Schiede) Conz.

Common Name:

Vanilla pompona
Flower
Photograph by: Fpalli
Creative Commons License
Vanilla pompona Vanilla pompona Vanilla pompona Vanilla pompona

General Information

Vanilla pompona is a succulent-stemmed, perennial climbing plant, producing a stem that can be 5 metres or more long. The plant grows into trees, supporting itself by means of aerial roots that are produced from the stem nodes. It is often epiphytic, or becomes epiphytic as the lower portion of the stem withers and dies.
This species yields an inferior quality of vanilla, though it does also have some advantages over that species. It was at one time a very popular spice but is less often used nowadays, though still occasionally cultivated for its seedpods[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
649
Title
Orchids of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Ames O. & Correll D.S.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Chicago Natural History Museum; Chicago.
Year
1952
ISBN
 
Description
Although dated, still an excellent treatment of the Orchids of Guatemala. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Known Hazards

The stems produce a watery and caustic latex when wounded[
648
Title
Contributions from the United States National Herbarium. Vol. 51
Publication
 
Author
Acevedo-Rodríguez P. (Editor)
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Smithsonian Institution; Washington.
Year
2005
ISBN
 
Description
A treatment of the climbing plants of Puerto Rico. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Botanical References

649
Title
Orchids of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Ames O. & Correll D.S.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Chicago Natural History Museum; Chicago.
Year
1952
ISBN
 
Description
Although dated, still an excellent treatment of the Orchids of Guatemala. It can be downloaded from the Internet.

Range

Northern Central America - Mexico.

Habitat

Brush woods and half-shady places in low country[
596
Title
Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported Vol. 53
Publication
USDA Bureau of Plant Industry
Author
 
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Government Printing Office; Washington DC.
Year
1922
ISBN
 
Description
Details of seeds and plants imported for trials by the United States Department of Agriculture in the last quarter of 1917, often detailing the uses of the plant and various other miscellaneous information. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. On trees and shrubs in forests at elevations up to 1,000 metres in Guatemala[
649
Title
Orchids of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Ames O. & Correll D.S.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Chicago Natural History Museum; Chicago.
Year
1952
ISBN
 
Description
Although dated, still an excellent treatment of the Orchids of Guatemala. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *  *
Medicinal Rating *  *
HabitPerennial Climber
Height0.00 m
Cultivation StatusCultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details



Although the pods are of inferior quality to the true vanilla (Vanilla planifolia), the plant does also have some advantages inasmuch as its pods do not have a tendency to wilt; it is easily cured; and the vines are said to flower and fruit three or four times during the year[
596
Title
Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported Vol. 53
Publication
USDA Bureau of Plant Industry
Author
 
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Government Printing Office; Washington DC.
Year
1922
ISBN
 
Description
Details of seeds and plants imported for trials by the United States Department of Agriculture in the last quarter of 1917, often detailing the uses of the plant and various other miscellaneous information. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The flowers, which individually only live for a day, usually need to be hand pollinated, especially when the plant is growing outside its native range, if the fruit is to be produced[
648
Title
Contributions from the United States National Herbarium. Vol. 51
Publication
 
Author
Acevedo-Rodríguez P. (Editor)
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Smithsonian Institution; Washington.
Year
2005
ISBN
 
Description
A treatment of the climbing plants of Puerto Rico. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
,
649
Title
Orchids of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Ames O. & Correll D.S.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Chicago Natural History Museum; Chicago.
Year
1952
ISBN
 
Description
Although dated, still an excellent treatment of the Orchids of Guatemala. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
It takes 6 months from flowering until the seedpods are ready to harvest[
649
Title
Orchids of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Ames O. & Correll D.S.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Chicago Natural History Museum; Chicago.
Year
1952
ISBN
 
Description
Although dated, still an excellent treatment of the Orchids of Guatemala. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Edible Uses

The short, thick seedpod is used as a vanilla-like flavouring in foods[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
301
Title
Cornucopia II
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications, California.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-9628087-2-5
Description
The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. Inferior to the true vanilla (Vanilla planifolia)[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
649
Title
Orchids of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Ames O. & Correll D.S.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Chicago Natural History Museum; Chicago.
Year
1952
ISBN
 
Description
Although dated, still an excellent treatment of the Orchids of Guatemala. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Medicinal

The fermented fruit is made into vanilla crystals which are then put into carapa oil (Carapa guianensis) and used in the treatment of poor blood circulation and skin conditions[
348
Title
Medicinal Plants of the Guianas
Publication
 
Author
DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J.
Website
http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html
Publisher
Smithsonian Museum
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region
].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Vanilla+pompona>

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