The vanilla bean plant is actually a orchid that grows as a vine. Its only one of about 100 climbing and terrestrial orchids. It can take years before one even shows signs of producing a flower, and once the flower blooms they only last for the day. This is the first time I have ever seen the actual flowers on the vines, very cool. They are almost 4 inch's in length, and in the wild rely on natural pollination such as the Melipona bee species found throughout Mexico. Vanilla grown in other places for commercial use have to be hand pollinated, and all within hours of the flowers opening.
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