Vanilla, or the vanilla plant (Orchidaceae family) is an orchid vine with clusters of greenish flowers that is native to the damp tropical forests of Eastern Mexico. Its fertilization requires human intervention if it is to be cultivated away rom its area of origin. The vanilla fruit, the pod, must be picked when it starts to mature, or it would burst and lose its seeds. At this stage, the pod is odorless. It takes months of preparation to produce the traditional vanilla stick.

Botanist's Glossary