ABSTRACT
Vanilla and its relatives are surviving members of what is likely an ancient lineage of owering plants. Many are restricted to remote localities, and some are threatened with extinction. We certainly know a great deal about Vanilla planifolia-methods of cultivation, diseases that affect the domesticated vines, and techniques of fruit processing-but the fundamental natural history of the entire genus Vanilla and its closest relatives is still poorly known. The systematic study of these plants has been and continues to be surrounded by controversies. For these reasons it is encouraging to witness the increased level of knowledge in recent years regarding their classi cation and evolution, which has come about primarily thanks to the increased use of DNA-based data in systematic studies (e.g., see Cameron, 2003, 2004, 2006).
