Vanilla

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Did you know that vanilla, the flavor most loved, comes from an orchid seedpod. The vanilla vine grows in the shade of trees , it often grows on trees but it is not a parasite plant, it is a epiphyte. These plants take 2-7 years to mature . bloom and produce the vanilla beans. They require a particular type of pollinator to pollinate the flowers, these pollinators are not common in most parts of the world. Hence the flowers need to be hand pollinated. Hand pollination has to be done within window of 24 hours when the flower is open. This process is labor intensive leading to the vanilla bean being so expensive. The flour is also edible. However unlike most orchid flower which look so pretty the vanilla flower looks rather simple. I have a 10 year old vine which looks so beautiful, blooms once in a while but has never yielded any beans so far. These vines make amazing indoor plants as well. Have you seen a vanilla vine before?