Vanila Live Plants
"vanilla planifolia"  
Madagascar Vanilla
 
 
Type: Live Plants with pot
Size : 15Cm - 20Cm Size
 
You will receive Vanilla live plants as shown in real photos.
 
 
General Information
Vanilla is a succulent-stemmed, perennial climbing plant, producing a stem that can be 5 - 15 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.
Vanilla is one of the world's most important spicesIt is widely cultivated throughout the tropics, mainly on the islands of Madagascar, Reunion, Tahitii, Java and the Seychelles, for its edible seed pod, which is much used as a sweet, aromatic flavouring in ice cream and a wide range of sweet dishes.

Cultivation Details
The plant thrives in hot moist insular climates with frequent, but not excessive rain and requires two drier months to check vegetative growth and bring the vines into flower.It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are in the range 21 - 30°c, but can tolerate 10 - 33°c.It prefers a mean annual rainfall of 2,000 - 2,500mm, tolerating 1,500 - 3,000mm.An epiphytic plant, growing in pockets of humus on tree branches. It requires a position in semi-shade, well-protected from winds.Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 7, tolerating 4.3 - 8.Plants produced from short cuttings, around 30cm in length, will take 3 - 5 years before they flower and start to produce fruit. If longer cuttings, around 90 - 100cm in length, are used, then fruiting can commence after only 1 - 2 years.Under favourable conditions a plant may grow 60 - 120cm per month.The plant has an economic life of about 10 - 15 years before yields drop and it needs replacingThe flowers usually need to be hand pollinated, especially when being cultivated outside the plants natural range.The fruits mature in 180 - 270 days from flowering.They are harvested when still green and lacking their distinctive aroma, and are then put through a lengthy curing process during which time they turn brown and develop their aromaYields are very variable - a good vanillery may yield about 2.5 - 4 t/ha per year of fresh fruit, which gives 500 - 800 kg/ha of cured beansThe flowers are pollinated by a specific species of moth in the night time. In areas where the moth is absent, hand pollination is necessary

Edible Uses
Seedpod - cooked. Used as a flavouring in a wide range of foods such as ice creams, confectionery, baked goods, puddings etc.The seedpods contain about 3.5% vanillin.
The pod can be placed in sugar and left for the flavour to diffuse into the sugar. This sugar is then used as a sweet flavouring in various dishes, especially cakes and desserts.The fruit is a dark-brown, 3-angled capsule 15 - 28cm long containing many small seeds.
 

Medicinal
Traditionally, the seedpods are used as an aphrodisiac, carminative, emmenagogue and stimulant.They are said to reduce or cure fevers, spasms and caries.
Vanilla extracts (especially tinctures according to pharmacopoeias) are used in pharmaceutical preparations such as syrups, primarily as a flavouring agent.

Other Uses
The seedpod is used in perfumes and soaps