SCH Vanilla

Interesting facts : Vanilla is indigenous to southeastern Mexico, it is an orchid and one of the few that produces fruit. The flower blooms for 24 hours and must be pollinated or dies.

More interesting facts .. - Many people tried to re-locate the vanilla plant but initially failed because those locations did not have the Melipone Bee. - Now, in other parts of the world, humans must hand-pollinate the vanilla vines. A stick, the size of a toothpick is used to hand-pollinate the vanilla beans. - The same vanilla vine grows in Mexico, Madagascar, Indonesia, Tahiti, Papua New Guinea and India, but all five cured beans have their own distinctive flavor due to differing soil and climate conditions.