Description
Color chart of the spice or true vanilla (Vanilla planifolia). This orchid species, native to the tropics of the New World, is now cultivated around the equator and regarded by some as a flavoring agent and by others as a true spice. It was already used in pre-Columbian times by the indigenous peoples of Central America to flavor tobacco and cocoa. The Spanish conquistadors brought the vanilla plant to Europe at the end of the 15th century; later, attempts were made to cultivate the plant in various tropical colonies, which succeeded only when the problem of the lack of natural pollinators—especially hummingbirds—was overcome through self-pollination.
Plaque: Geneva Conservatory and Botanical Garden – 199
