PlantMap
← Back to list

Vanilla africana Lindl.

Vanilla africana

Native records: 9 botanical areas

Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, 6 more areas

See all areas

Natural distribution

Explore map
NativeIntroducedUncertain

Distribution is shown as WGSRPD Level 3 areas. It does not imply the species occurs throughout an entire area.

Last updated:

Distribution last verified:

See sources

Photograph of Vanilla africana

A climber of wet tropical climates. Native to Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea and elsewhere.

This entry carries only the classification and distribution data recorded in WCVP. A written account is not yet available.

Distribution areas

  • Cameroon

    • CameroonNative

  • Côte d'Ivoire

    • Ivory CoastNative

  • Equatorial Guinea

    • Equatorial GuineaNative
    • Gulf of Guinea Is.Native

  • Gabon

    • GabonNative

  • Ghana

    • GhanaNative

  • Guinea

    • GuineaNative

  • Liberia

    • LiberiaNative

  • Nigeria

    • NigeriaNative

  • Sao Tome and Principe

    • Gulf of Guinea Is.Native

Climate of the native range

The Köppen climate classes found in the areas this plant is recorded as native to. It does not mean an entire area has that climate.

  • Aw Tropical, savannah
  • Am Tropical, monsoon
  • BSh Arid, steppe, hot
  • Af Tropical, rainforest
  • Cfb Temperate, no dry season, warm summer

The same climate occurs in 152 areas worldwide, 143 of which have no record of this plant. See them on the map

A matching climate does not mean the plant can grow there. Range limits are also set by things other than climate — dispersal history, soils, competition. Source: Beck et al. (2023), CC BY 4.0 (observed period 1991–2020).

Recorded medicinal uses

The cited source records medicinal use of this plant. It is not an assessment of efficacy or safety.

  • Vanilla africana is recorded as used medicinally.

    Source location: p.70, left column, line 6

    World Checklist of Useful Plant Species · Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB) · CC BY 4.0 · source version: wcups-2020-62602715

    Open source
Family
Orchidaceae
Genus
Vanilla

Other species in Vanilla

Sources

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Côte d'Ivoire · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Cameroon · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Gabon · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Ghana · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Guinea · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Equatorial Guinea · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Liberia · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Nigeria · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Sao Tome and Principe · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

Image information