Vanilla planifolia is a species of vanilla orchid. It is native to Mexico and Belize. It is one of the primary sources for vanilla flavouring, due to its high vanillin content. Common names include flat-leaved vanilla, and West Indian vanilla (also used for the Pompona vanilla, V. pompona). Often, it is simply referred to as "the vanilla". It was first scientifically named in 1808. With the species' population in decline and its habitats being converted to other purposes, the IUCN has assessed Vanilla planifolia as Endangered.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Habitat GIFTÁrea Antrópica, Floresta Ciliar ou Galeria, Floresta de Terra Firme, Floresta Ombrófila (= Floresta Pluvial), Restinga
Mycorrhiza typeE.t.end.
Succulenceno
Woodinessnon-woody
Physiology & chemistry2
Nitrogen fixingnon_nitrogen_fixer
Specific leaf area (SLA)8.56 mm²/mg
Other traits1
Shoot orientationprostrate
03Chemical composition111 compounds
Compounds documented for Vanilla planifolia across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
🍽 Used in cooking🌿 Spice
Compound class profile5 classes
Hydrocarbons52
Simple phenolic acids8
Stigmastane steroids5
Shikimic acids and derivatives $ Simple phenolic acids4
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Vanilla planifolia has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
DNA specimens22
Marker genes4
eDNA detections19
Countries3
Marker genes sequenced
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
★matK★rbcL★rbcLa★ITS
plant barcodefungal barcode
06Genome at a glanceCCDB · GoaT · NCBI
The complete instruction manualVanilla planifolia carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Genome sizehow big the whole instruction manual is
Genome size2 552 580 000 bp
Measured in base pairs (bp) — the individual letters of DNA (human ≈ 3.2 Gb, a bacterium a few million). The chart places this genome on a logarithmic scale — each step to the right is ten times bigger — among reference organisms. Across species a bigger genome loosely tracks with larger cells, slower growth and lower-energy lifestyles (powered flight favours small genomes) — yet it does not imply more genes or a more advanced organism (the long-standing C-value paradox).
BACTERIUM Carsonella ruddii0.00016 Gb
FUNGUS0.04 Gb
INSECT0.25 Gb
THIS GENOME Vanilla planifolia2.55 Gb
HUMAN3.2 Gb
WHEAT17 Gb
FERN Tmesipteris160.45 Gb
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
Sequencing statusassembly quality — how far to trust these numbers
Assembly level tells you how finished the sequence is — from fragmented contigs, through scaffolds, up to a full chromosome-level assembly. BUSCO % estimates completeness: the share of genes expected to be present that were actually found. These describe the data quality, not the organism.
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Coordinate accuracy37% within 1 km
≤100 m 189≤1 km 75≤10 km 369>10 km 73
706 georeferenced · 215 without coordinates
Open the mapobservation + sensor921
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Coordinate accuracy83% within 1 km
≤100 m 129≤1 km 12≤10 km 18>10 km 11
170 georeferenced · 244 without coordinates
Open the institutions mapphysical evidence414
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Coordinate accuracy33% within 1 km
≤1 km 1≤10 km 2
3 georeferenced · 5 without coordinates
Open the mapnot free-living8
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
10Collections & institutions
Holding institutions42 of 76 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
Institution
Specimens
Saint Louis, US
47
Durango, MX
45
Chaguaramas, TT
23
Mexico City, MX
16
Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt (IAvH)location not on record
11
Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL)location not on record
10
Paris, FR
9
National Biodiversity Institute, Costa Ricalocation not on record
8
Chicago, US
8
Fundación Jardín Botánico Joaquín Antonio Uribe de Medellín (JBM)location not on record
7
South Kensington, GB
6
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (PUJ)location not on record
5
Smithfield, AU
5
Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabascolocation not on record
5
Berlin, DE
5
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Nortelocation not on record
4
Mérida, MX
4
Canberra, AU
4
Stockholm, SE
4
Departamento de Sistematica e Ecologialocation not on record
4
Corporación Autónoma Regional Para la Defensa de la Meseta de Bucaramanga (CDMB)location not on record
3
Fort Worth, US
3
Bronx, US
3
Quito, EC
3
Miami, US
3
Ciudad de México, MX
3
Tuxtla Gutiérrez, MX
2
San José, CR
2
Tapachula, MX
2
Antiguo Cuscatlán, SV
2
St. Augustine, TT
2
Institut und Museum fuer Geologie und Palaeontologielocation not on record
2
Area de Conservacion Guanacastelocation not on record
2
Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Veracruzana, Región Xalapalocation not on record
2
Jardín Botánico de Cartagena "Guillermo Piñeres" (JBC)location not on record
2
QAPlocation not on record
2
Tuxtla Gutiérrez, MX
2
Brisbane, AU
2
Instituto Chinoin, A.C.location not on record
2
Aarhus, DK
2
San Francisco, US
1
UFPElocation not on record
1
Cincinnati, US
1
Philadelphia, US
1
Cuiabá, BR
1
Christchurch, NZ
1
Montecillo, Texcoco, MX
1
Chongqing Museumlocation not on record
1
UNICAMPlocation not on record
1
Tampa, US
1
León, NI
1
Río Palenque Science Centerlocation not on record
1
Escuela Agrícola Panamericanalocation not on record
1
University of Stellenboschlocation not on record
1
Station d'Ecologie de Lamtolocation not on record
1
Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza (PBZT)location not on record
1
QCNElocation not on record
1
Riverside, US
1
Chicago, US
1
Guilin, CN
1
Harvard Universitylocation not on record
1
Universidad de La Salle (La Salle)location not on record
1
Universidad del Valle (UniValle)location not on record
1
Karlsruhe, DE
1
Mexico City, MX
1
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)location not on record
1
CJBGlocation not on record
1
IAvHlocation not on record
1
Gump Stationlocation not on record
1
Altos de Pipe, VE
1
Vancouver, CA
1
Taipei, TW
1
TAFORI-LSRClocation not on record
1
Moscow State Universitylocation not on record
1
Denver, US
1
Sociedad para el Estudio de los Recursos Bióticos de Oaxaca, A. C.location not on record
1
76 institutions · 312 of 414 vouchered records shown · 102 without an institution code
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
09Environmental DNA19 detections
Where the DNA of Vanilla planifolia was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Detections DNA found19
Studies independent surveys1
Signal confidence: weakweighed across independent studies, places & mapped detections
Where its DNA was found
0 of 19 detections have coordinates
Open the map0 countries0
How strong is each trace?
DNA read depthRead counts were not reported for this species — the map shows presence only, not how strong each trace was.
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation14 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility1 447 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI19 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics22 specimens↗
LOTUSNatural Products (Wikidata)compounds↗
NPASSNat. Product Activity & Species Sourcecompounds↗
GRIN TaxonomyUSDA-ARSdistribution & uses↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
CCDBChromosome Counts DB · Tel Aviv U.genome & karyotype↗
GoaTGenomes on a Tree · Sangergenome & karyotype↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinegenome & karyotype↗
PloiDBPloidy Databasegenome & karyotype
WikidataWikimedia Foundationstructured facts↗
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗