| Vanilla pompona | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Vanilloideae |
| Genus: | Vanilla |
| Species: | V. pompona |
| Binomial name | |
| Vanilla pompona | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
Vanilla pompona is a species of vanilla orchid. It is native to Mexico and northern South America, [3] and is one of the sources for vanilla flavouring, due to its high vanillin content. According to research by British and Swedish scientists, the smell of vanilla is a favorite among most people in the world. [4]
Vanilla pompona found in the Peruvian Amazon has been tested using HPLC analysis showing a concentration of vanillin content up to 9.88g/100g [5] making it suitable for the food or cosmetic industry.
Like all members of the genus Vanilla, V. pompona is a vine. It uses its fleshy roots to support itself as it grows. Its leaves and stems are generally thicker than in V. planifolia and V. phaeantha . [6]
V. pompona is one of the few Vanilla species for which there is definitive identification of the agents responsible for pollination; a study found that males of a medium-sized orchid bee, Eulaema cingulata , remove and transfer pollen of V. pompona in Peru, apparently while they are searching for nectar that the flowers do not possess. [7] Other bee species visit the flowers, but larger species cannot fit inside to reach the floral reproductive organs, and smaller species do not make physical contact with the stigma; of several observed floral visitors, only E. cingulata was within the necessary size range to accomplish pollen transfer. [7]