Orchidaceae
Vanilla

Vanilla polylepis Summerh.

First published in Bot. Mus. Leafl. 14: 219 (1951)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Kenya to S. Tropical Africa. It is a climber and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Orchidaceae, I. la Croix and P.J. Cribb. Flora Zambesiaca 11:1. 1995

Morphology General Habit
Climbing and trailing liane up to 8 m long; roots adventitious, arising at the nodes, aerial or clinging to substrate, rooting in soil where they touch the ground.
Morphology Stem
Stem succulent, channelled, bright green, 10–12 mm in diameter; internodes 12–15 mm long.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves up to 24 × 6.5 cm, fleshy, lanceolate, oblanceolate or ovate, acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence axillary or pseudo-terminal, up to 20-flowered, with 1–3 flowers open at a time.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers white or greenish-white, lip yellow towards the base, usually purple at the apex, or pure white.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel and Ovary
Ovary and pedicel 5.5–6 cm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Sepals 3.6–6 × 0.5–2 cm, oblanceolate, fleshy; petals similar, but slightly broader and less fleshy with a keel on the outer surface, terminating in a projecting point c. 2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Labellum
Lip 4.5–6 cm long, 2.5 cm wide, obscurely 3-lobed, funnel-shaped, adnate to column at base, undulate on the margin; disk (below apex of column) with crest of up to 12 rows of transverse, parallel, branched scales up to 2 mm long; basal 3 cm of lip with papillae.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Column
Column 3–4.5 cm long, the basal 2–3 cm adnate to lip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule up to 15 × 1.5 cm.
[FZ]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: threatened. Confidence: low confidence
[AERP]

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

Morphology General Habit
A glabrous, leafy liane or creeper of indeterminate length with roots of various lengths arising at nodes.
Morphology Stem
Stems slightly fractiflex, with internodes up to 15 cm. long and 2.5 cm. diameter, succulent, terete, green with single leaf arising at each node, opposite or subtending each adventitious root.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves persistent, coriaceous, alternate, elliptic- lanceolate to oblong, shortly acuminate, 12–21 cm. long and 3–8 cm. broad, upper leaves smallest, rich green.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence axillary or pseudo-terminal, subtended by 1–2 bract-like leaves, densely many-flowered, unbranched.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts ovate, up to 1.5 cm. long, closely imbricating.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers often opening singly or up to 3 at one time, persisting for 1–3 days, pale green to greenish white with tepals flushed deeper green on outer surface and towards apex, lip much paler with rosy maroon to brownish purple longitudinal streaks towards apex and yellow towards base; albinos and partial albinos occur occasionally; pedicel and ovary up to 6 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals oblanceolate, obtuse and subacute, ± clawed at base, fleshy; dorsal sepal up to 6.3 cm. long and 1.8 cm. broad; lateral sepals up to 5.9 cm. long and 1.7 cm. broad.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals less fleshy than sepals, asymmetric, elliptic-lanceolate, up to 6.3 cm. long and 1.6 cm. broad, shallowly grooved along entire length on dorsal surface, with a pronounced keel running along centre of groove to within 7 mm. of petal apex, apical 2 mm. of keel free, usually porrect, forming a horn-like appendage.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Labellum
Lip up to 6 cm. long, basal part united to column for 3 cm., forming a funnel- like tube, obscurely 3-lobed, apex enveloping column and expanded into membranous rolled lobe with markedly undulate margins and bearing crest of numerous small warts and 2–3 porrect stout hairs up to 2 mm. long; disc of lip, immediately under apex of column, with crest of up to 12 rows of transverse, parallel, lamellate, dendritic branched scales up to 2 mm. long; basal 3 cm. of lip with papillae-like outgrowths.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Column
Column adnate to lip for 3 cm., arcuate, up to 4.5 cm. long, hairy on lower surface of basal 2.7 cm., winged towards apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule up to 15 cm. long and 1.5 cm. broad.
Figures
Fig. 51, p. 262.
Habitat
Riverside trees and rocks in shade; ± 1500 m.
Distribution
K4
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0