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Key to Vanilla

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image of plant
Show caption*© Keith Bradley
1 Vines leafless or with only a few leaves on newest growth (the leaves caducous); leaves < 8 cm long, much shorter than the internodes); stems 3-9 mm in diameter.
  2 Sepals and petals ca. 3× as long as wide, < 4 cm long; lip < 4 cm long, deep red, the margins white; leaves to 4 cm, the apex not hooked
  2 Sepals and petals ca. 5× as long as wide, > 4.5 cm long; lip > 4 cm long, reddish-purple, the margins purple; leaves to 8 cm long, the apex hooked
image of plant
Show caption*© Keith Bradley
1 Vines leafy, the leaves persistent at many nodes; leaves > 10 cm long, almost as long as to longer than the internodes; stems 2-15 mm in diameter.
    3 Stem 2-3 mm in diameter; sepal and petal margins undulate; sepal and petal tips curled back (strongly reflexed); leaves relatively thin, to 25 cm long × 12 cm wide, definitely longer than the subtended internodes
    3 Stem 5-15 mm in diameter; sepal and petal margins planar; sepal and petal tips straight or nearly so; leaves fleshy and thick, to 25 cm long × 8 cm wide, shorter than or longer than the subtended internodes.
      4 Leaves equal to or shorter than the internodes; fruits 8-10 cm long; sepals 7.0-9.0 cm long
      4 Leaves mostly longer than the internodes; fruits 15-25 cm long; sepals 3.5-5.5 cm long