Leptotes bicolor
Lindl.
Bicolored leptotes
OrchidaceaeFruit
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc-nd
(c) faatura, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
(c) faatura, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Eduardo Dalabeneta, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Eduardo Dalabeneta, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Eduardo Dalabeneta, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Eduardo Dalabeneta, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit - flavouring, Pod
The fruit pod is used as a vanilla substitute to flavor food, especially ice cream.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows in cooler places than vanilla.
Brazil*, Paraguay, South America,
How to Identify
A tropical orchid in the Orchidaceae family that grows in cooler places than vanilla.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Leptotes bicolor is a species of orchid native to Paraguay and southern Brazil. It is the type species of the genus Leptotes. Its flowers and fruits are used as a substitute for vanilla in milk and ice cream. It grows in cooler climates than vanilla, as its distribution occupies regions more distant from the equator. It contains vanillin, the main compound of the extract of the vanilla. It is grown as an ornamental plant.
Names & Synonyms
Tetramicra bicolor Rolfe
References (4)
- Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 164
- Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 646 (As Tetramicra bicolor)
- Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 482
- Uphof,
