orchids and orchidology in central america. 500 ... - lankesteriana.org

ossenbaCh — Orchids and orchidology in Central America
this point [Bluefields, Nicaragua] abounds in vanilla
of the finest quality. This plant climbs with ease to the
top of the highest tree. At a distance the leaves slightly
resemble those of the vine; the flowers are of a white
colour, intermixed with red and yellow, when these fall
off, they are quickly succeeded by the pods, growing
in bunches not unlike the plantain, and generally of
the thickness of a child’s finger. The pods are green
at first, grow yellow, and finally brown; the method
used to preserve the fruit, is to gather it when yellow,
before the pods begin to open or burst – it is then laid
in small heaps for the space of three of four days to
ferment. The fruit is afterwards spread in the sun to
dry; and when about half dried, flattened with the hand,
and rubbed over with cocoa, palm or other oil: - it is
once more exposed to the sun, to be fully dried, rubbed
over with oil a second time, put in small parcels, and
closely covered over with the dried leaves of the
plantain. [...] The vanilla plant is also found on most
parts of the Mosquito Shore, and in the neighborhood
of Breo del Rero and Chiriquí Lagoon; it requires heat,
moisture, and shade, to bring it to perfection, and when
used in that state it gives a most delicious flavour to
coffee, chocolate, etc., forming an important article of
commerce, especially among the Spaniards” (Roberts,
1965: 99-100).
Carl Berthold Seemann, in 1848, indicated that
“[the] fruit of the Vanilla (Vanilla sp.) and Vanilla
chica (Sobralia sp. or Selenipedium chica) are
spices employed in flavoring sweetmeats, chocolate
and puddings” (Seemann, 1852-1857: 69). Moritz
Wagner and Carl Scherzer, in 1853, observed Vanilla
plants growing wild in the region of Miravalles, in
northwestern Costa Rica: “The parasitic plant of the
family of the orchids that provides the precious vanilla
(Epidendron vanilla), with long, slim and aromatic
ovaries, grows wild in the lower and shady places near
the banks of the rivers”). And near the Río Grande
(Pacific Coast): “Very frequent, especially in shady
places, are several species of vanilla that may be
distinguished for their thick leaves, their multicolored
flowers of marvelous forms and their siliquous and
thin fruits which exhale a delicious aroma” (Wagner
& Scherzer, 1974: 168, 225). Wells described the
cultivation and trade of Vanilla in the Honduran
region of Olancho, and gave it the scientific name
10 Wells means Vanilla axillaris Mill., a Mexican species described in 1768.
of Vanilla axillans [sic] (Wells, 1857) 10 . Wells states
that Vanilla shows preference for two species of host
trees, “indio desnudo” (Bursera simaruba (L.) Sarg.)
and “guachipilín” (Casearia sylvestris Sw.), and gives
a detailed description of plant habitat, flowers, and
fruits. As to cultivation, Wells mentions a promising
experimental plantation in the village of Pespire. The
greatest part of the Vanilla from Olancho was taken to
the market of Tegucigalpa, although a small amount
was sent to Trujillo, on the North coast, and to Belize.
According to Wells, in good localities a diligent
native could collect between two and four pounds a
day. Hartwell (1967-1971) includes Vanilla in his
list of plants used against cancer. And more recently,
Alan Hirsch, M.D., of Smell and Taste Treatment
and Research Foundation Ltd., in Chicago, studied
the relationship between smell and arousal. He found
that several smells increased blood flow to the penis,
including lavender, pumpkin pie, doughnut and black
licorice. However, smelling vanilla caused the greatest
degree of arousal in older men (Siegel, 2008: 145).
For over 300 years after its discovery by Hernán
Cortés, vanilla was only produced in Mexico.
Cultivation was tried in many countries, but the
delicate orchid never bore fruit. The mystery was not
solved until 1838, when the Belgian Charles Morren
discovered that common insects cannot pollinate the
flower and that its natural fertilizers, bees from the
genus Eulaema, do not survive outside Mexico. Morren
developed the method to pollinate vanilla flowers
by hand (Morren, 1838). Soon the French began to
cultivate vanilla in their colonies in the Indic Ocean,
the Dutch in Indonesia and the British in Jamaica and
India. Finally, in 1858, Gobley isolated vanillin, the
crystalline component of vanilla, opening the way to
industrial production of substitutes for V. planifolia.
“In spite of competition from other tropical regions,
in spite of the large-scale commercial production of
synthetic vanillin, Mexican vanilla has held its own.
At its best it has a quality unequaled elsewhere, and its
excellence is recognized by its great demand” (Bruman,
1948: 372). In the region of Totonicapán, the cultivation
of Vanilla is an important economic factor. “The
Totonacs found the way of growing vanilla, planting
it in acahuales (secondary forests), and learned how to
guide and prune the plants” (Hágsater et al., 2005: 50).
LANKESTERIANA 9(1—2), August 2009. © Universidad de Costa Rica, 2009.
25