Due to its cinematographic History, we know very little about vanilla medicinal properties, apart from its supposed aphrodisiac power, that just may come from its unique exotic taste. Traditional vanilla knowledge have been totally wiped off. Aztecs considered it as a way to make divine food for Gods. Montezuma, the Aztec emperor, when getting aware Quetzalcoatl God was reigning in Madrid, the world center for red color (color of the Spanish Royal family and Quetzalcoatl), decided to offer Hernan Cortez one of the most precious Aztec treasures, more than gold, a priceless orchid that gave the divine taste to all aliments. None of them knew it was only fecundated thanks to a small wasp, just available in Central America's jungles. The orchid goes on boat with other treasures and gold, heading Madrid. Just what French pirates in west Indies were waiting for. They kill all the Spaniards, take the boat, take the gold, and do care the orchid, heading to La Reunion (Indian Ocean), a French pirates' nest, where they plant the orchid, that develops fabulously, with wonderful smelly flowers but as no small Mexican wasp, no fecundation and no vanilla (pirates weren't aware of the nature of Montezuma's gift). Vanilla Orchid turns an ornament plant, until a young slave, in love with a red-hair mistress, smashes and destroys her favorite flowers, that way letting pollen meet stigma. (what a psychoanalytic tale around food!) The legends says vanilla, the fecundated stigma of a Mexican orchid, was born that way in La Réunion, Indian Ocean. Now, they grow it in French Polynesia, Madagascar and other countries. It is still hand-fecundated, as far the small wasp refuses to leave Mexico, men have to do her job. But I wonder: why Mexico, the original country of the vanilla orchid, does not produce vanilla? Did the small wasp, the only being with humans able to fecundate the orchid, yet disappeared? Whatsoever, there's enough for a very good movie, vanilla-tasting.
Even most of the orchids needs hand pollination to have a successful pod formation like Vanila flower.
Then, tell me, Dinum Herath, how the most beautiful orchids in the world, in the lost deserted forests of Assam, do manage to reproduce without human hand around? If you tell me that most of the orchids need a little insect help, then I'll agree. Hammer orchid smells and looks like a female wasp. Male wasps are marveled with such a docile female, while they're unaware hammer orchid uses their movements to stuff them with pollen. But vanilla orchid was the first orchid to be hand-fecundated by men, because men took away the orchid from the insect that pollinated it. And, for what I know, Vanilla is the only orchid we eat. And what we call vanilla isn't the pod or the flower, but the fecundated stigma or ovaries of the plant. Vanilla orchid produces wonderful flowers without any human intervention. This orchid can perfectly survive without any human intervention, reproducing by root-radiating, as it did for 2 centuries in La Réunion.
Dear Fred,
Yes all orchids can have the reproduction without human hand !!!
It existe différents stratégie
For exemple, the autopollinisation exist at many species, but is very developed in mountains or islands ecosystems),
Hoverever ... if you want to have a number of fruits for the commerce (in agriculture) it needs hand pollination to have a big-big formation of fruits,
and for any + information see:
A Pueblo Divided: Business, Property, and Community in Papantla, Mexico
https://books.google.fr/books?isbn=0804739390 -
Emilio Kourí - 2004 - Social Science
During the next few decades, vanilla was transplanted to botanical gardens across ... given to the climate of Mexico to effect in this latter region a fecundation.
La Vanille Bourbon
christophe.belluteau.pagesperso-orange.fr/.../Vanille%20.htm
Best regards,
MTT
Very interesting, so most probably, Vanilla was re-introduced in Mexico by the French that supported Maximilian Mexican Emperor, the same French that reintroduced cochineal in Mexico in order to produce red color because megalomaniac French Emperor Napoleon III wanted his soldiers all with red trousers. But, what about the small Mexican wasp that naturally pollinated the vanilla orchid? Is it still present in Mexico? Your Vanille Bourbon link is 404.
Of course Fred, insect pollination is possible. we can see several adaptation of the flower to facilitate this phenomenon.
Dear Fred,
in Mexico exist different species of Vanilla
And the more important Vanilla planifolia ou "Vanille Bourbon".
Bourbon vanilla is introduced in Reunion island, as many other agricultural cultures. For exemple, okra.
see:
Mexican vanilla | plant | Britannica.com
https://www.britannica.com/plant/Mexican-vanilla
…uThe vanilla beans of commerce are the cured unripe fruit fruit of Mexican or Bourbon vanilla (Vanilla planifolia), Tahiti vanilla (V. tahitensis), and occasionally West Indian vanilla (V. pompona); all three species are thought to be derived from a single species native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.
"Bourbon" means it's a French subterfuge: it was no vanilla orchid in La reunion before the French brought in clandestinely (pirates) the Mexican one, after stealing it to Spaniards. The only difference with other vanilla orchids, what Bourbon really means is slavery. It is thanks to slavery that they begun to hand-pollinated vanilla orchid and produce vanilla. So Bourbon also means: commercial. Apart from this, is there genetic differences between a Bourbon vanille orchid and a Tahitian one? I think they all come from the same source, La Réunion, through French Empire. But originally, vanilla orchid comes from Mexico. In order to get an attitude and a justification, Napoleon III wanted also Mexico (that was almost part of French Empire, with maximiliano 1st) to be planted with vanilla Bourbon from La Réunion, so the world would know that vanilla came from France and, as a gift to humanity, they even planted it generously in poor countries such as Mexico (from where was coming the vanilla orchid)...
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