HERB - Question about the origins about vanilla

[Kathleen Keeler]

I can't resist a vanilla orchid story

We have a Botany greenhouse here at the University of Nebraska. When I arrived
in 1975 it was a structure recycled from a previous structure about 1935:  when
the wind blew right it threw glass panes onto the sidewalk, wet snows caused
the wood supporting the panes to break and sections would fall in--the manager
did the best that he could to keep it running.

Much of the floor was concrete and there were concrete blocks substituting for
tables (benches in greenhouse lingo)

The vanilla orchid had been brought in long before my time.  It was a
nondescript set of alternating leaves most of the time.  I looked at it and
said:  oh, that's vanilla (not very interesting).

But, it grew well in our run down greenhouse

And one day I noticed that part of it was growing up the wall (it does that
well) independent of a flower pot.  We still had one plant in the pot, but part
of it, no longer at all connected, ran from a concrete block to the greenhouse
roof, kind of just began at the brick and kept going to the ceiling.  A base
with roots?  Who needs it!

I remain impressed.  I guess it got what it needed from the water we tossed
around when watering and the concrete block (and the wooden struts on the way
to the ceiling).  It grew for years that way.

It is currently in the new, state of the art, Biotech greenhouse.  In 5 years
it has gone to the ceiling again.  It was flowering about New Year,  4-6 inch
long, 2-3 inch wide cream-yellow tubular blossom--tho it was up 10' in the
air--I didn't get a ladder and so didn't get a close look.  We have produced
vanilla beans in the greenhouse occassionally in the past and the manager said
they were pollinating it.

Cool plant

Agnes/Kathy

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