Family:
Orchidaceae Juss.
Genus:
Vanilla Plum. ex Mill.

Vanilla imperialis Kraenzl.

This species is accepted, and its native range is W. Tropical Africa to SW. Ethiopia and Angola.

[FTEA]

Orchidaceae, V. S. Summerhayes. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1968

Morphology General Habit
Epiphytic, glabrous, leafy liane of indeterminate length, with roots of various lengths arising at nodes.
Morphology Stem
Internodes up to 15 cm. long, 2.5 cm. diameter, succulent, terete, 4-channelled, dull bluish green, with single leaf arising at each node opposite or subtending each adventitious root.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves fleshy, broadly elliptic-oblong to ovate, apiculate or subobtuse, 15–25 cm. long, 8–12 cm. broad, dull bluish green.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences axillary, sessile, usually erect, densely many-flowered, unbranched, up to 15 cm. long; bracts ovate, obtuse or subacute, up to 3 cm. long, closely imbricating.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers often opening singly, persisting for 1–2 days, yellow or cream, lip heavily blotched deep rose to purple especially on inner surface towards apex; pedicel and ovary up to 11 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Sepals and petals subequal, elliptic-lanceolate, acute, up to 8 cm. long and 1.8 cm. broad.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Labellum
Lip up to 6 cm. long, basal part united to column nearly to anther, forming a funnel-like tube, obscurely 3-lobed, with side lobes broadly rounded and enveloping column-apex, middle lobe acute, apical margin markedly crenulate and folded with thick long papillae at extreme apex; disc of lip bearing dense tuft of fine hairs; tube formed by lip and column hairy inside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Column
Column adnate to lip for greater part of length, arcuate, up to 4 cm. long, hairy on lower surface.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule up to 25 cm. long and 1.5 cm. broad.
Habitat
Scrambling over forest trees and up tree-trunks in shade; 900–1200 m.
Distribution
T3 U2 U4

[FWTA]

Orchidaceae, V. S. Summerhayes. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:1. 1968

Morphology General Habit
A fleshy climbing herb with thick stems
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Dense racemes of large cream or yellow flowers
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Labellum
Purple or rosy markings on the lip.

Native to:

Angola, Cameroon, Central African Repu, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zaïre

Vanilla imperialis Kraenzl. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
Uganda 19560.000 No
Ghana 29029.000 No
Pfennig, H. [1317], Uganda 29047.242 No
Ormaston, H.A., Uganda 29827.000 No

First published in Notizbl. Königl. Bot. Gart. Berlin 1: 155 (1896)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R. (2003). World Checklist of Monocotyledons Database in ACCESS: 1-71827. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Hedberg, I., Friis, I. & Persson, E. (2009). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 1: 1-305. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
  • Jongkind, C. (2014). Fauna & Flora of Liberia, flowering plant species list www.liberianfaunaflora.org.
  • Lejoly, J. & Geerinck, D. (2010). Flore de la Tshopo (RD Congo): Familles des Malvaceae, Orchidaceae, Sterculiaceae, Tiliaceae. Taxonomania. Revue de Taxonomie et de Nomenclature Botaniques 29: 1-41.
  • Soto Arenas, M.A. & Cribb, P. (2010). A new infrageneric classification and synopsis of the genus Vanilla Plum. ex Mill. (Orchidaceae: Vanillinae). Lankesteriana 9: 355-398.
  • Szlachetko, D.L. & al. (2004). Flore du Gabon 36: 1-231. Muséum National D'Histoire Naturelle, Paris.
  • Velayos, M. & al. (eds.) (2018). Flora de Guinea Ecuatorial 10: 1-491. Consejo superior de investigaciones científicas, Real jardín botánico, Madrid.

Literature

Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • F.T.A. 7: 178.
  • in Notizbl. Bot, Gart. BerL. 1: 155, t. 1 (1896)

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Jongkind, C. (2014). Fauna & Flora of Liberia, flowering plant species list www.liberianfaunaflora.org.
  • Soto Arenas, M.A. & Cribb, P. (2010). A new infrageneric classification and synopsis of the genus Vanilla Plum. ex Mill. (Orchidaceae: Vanillinae). Lankesteriana 9: 355-398.
  • Szlachetko, D.L. & al. (2004). Flore du Gabon 36: 1-231. Muséum National D'Histoire Naturelle, Paris.

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Kraenzl. in Notizblatt des Botanischen Gartens und Museums zu Berlin-Dahelm 1: 155, t. 1 (1896).
  • Piers, Orch. E. Afr., ed. 2: 82, fig. 26 (1969).
  • Robyns & Tournay, Flore des Spermatophytes du Parc National Albert. 3: 454 (1955).
  • Rolfe in Flora of Tropical Africa 7: 178 (1897).
  • Summerh. in Flora of West Tropical Africa, ed. 2, 3: 206 (1968).

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    Flora of Tropical East Africa
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  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    Flora of West Tropical Africa
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  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

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