Vanilla planifolia (spiced vanilla / real vanilla)

Vanilla planifolia , the spice vanilla or true vanilla, is a climbing orchid from Central America. It has fleshy, thick leaves that grow to about 10 to 20 cm long and are arranged alternately on its equally thick stems. As a vine, it climbs trees, and individual shoots can reach up to 20 meters in length.

It blooms with large, greenish-white flowers, reaching a total length of about 4 to 5 meters. To flower, it must be kept very warm and humid. The pollinated flowers develop into seed capsules, which, when dried, are known as vanilla "pods" (botanically speaking, they are not pods). From these capsules, the tiny seeds are extracted, which are the familiar vanilla spice.

It is easy to care for on a windowsill or in a terrarium and grows particularly quickly during the hot summer months.