vanilla plant

noun

1. a composite plant, Trilisa odoratissima (or Carphephorus odoratissimus ), of the southeastern U.S., having purplish flower heads and vanilla-scented leaves used to flavor tobacco.

Word History and Origins

Origin of vanilla plant¹

First recorded in 1745–55

Example Sentences

It takes four years for a young vanilla plant to produce a flower, and the flower lasts for just one day.

From Seattle Times

It takes four years for a young vanilla plant to produce a flower, and the flower lasts for just one day.

From Washington Times

It can also be found in other, less expensive places outside the vanilla plant: clove oil, pine bark and rice bran.

From Salon

“For decades, consumers have expected products containing vanilla ice cream to be exclusively flavored by real vanilla derived from the vanilla plant and contain a sufficient amount of vanilla to characterize the food,” alleges the complaint, which was shared with WIVB.

From Fox News

“We didn’t even know how a vanilla plant produced.”

From Washington Times