Talk:Vanilla odorata

Major revision
Using the German version of the page I identified new sources for a description of the species. I uploaded new photos to commons. In addition I got a paper describing how the seeds are distributed that may be useful for a DYK hook. The page is far from complete but I hope to identify new sources to add additional information. 🌿MtBotany (talk) 04:47, 18 October 2023 (UTC)

More edits coming in the next five days, changed this page to "C" class since we're still somewhat incomplete. I'm using the Wikipedia library to try to find some additional good sources since archive.org is hard to use for this particular species given all the other plants in the genus. 🌿MtBotany (talk) 18:38, 21 October 2023 (UTC)

Added template to show where I put in some translated text from the German Wiki. 🌿MtBotany (talk) 02:47, 22 October 2023 (UTC)

Photograph vs specimen image
The reason I used a herbarium specimen for the main image on the page is that the only photograph from life that I was able to locate, the one you moved to the taxo box, is so unclear and cluttered. It does not do a good job of showing users what the plant looks like. Do you have a good reason why the herbarium specimen should not be used in the taxo box? 🌿MtBotany (talk) 21:13, 23 October 2023 (UTC)


 * I think even the rather crowded photo we have is a better representation of the species as most people would see it than a herbarium photo. Honestly, most people aren't going to be able to figure out how to analyze a herbarium specimen, so that photo really only helps botanists. We have a clearer photo in life from iNaturalist on Commons, check it out and add it if you think it would be good. AryKun (talk) 09:11, 24 October 2023 (UTC)
 * I think you underestimate non-botanists, but I have another alternative. Just last night I finally found a pen and ink drawing of V. odorata in a public domain book published in the US in 1925.
 * https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/263014#page/563/mode/1up
 * It is only black and white, but it looks accurate and has a flower unlike everything else I have been able to locate.
 * If you think that would also be too hard for the general public I think your proposed alternative is a good choice. There are just too many leaves from other plants in the wider shot that will mislead many people. 🌿MtBotany (talk) 12:59, 24 October 2023 (UTC)
 * okay, the drawing's nice. AryKun (talk) 14:03, 24 October 2023 (UTC)
 * Cleaned it up and uploaded. Thanks for your attention and opinions.
 * Do you think that the herbarium specimen would be appropriate in the section on Taxonomy or would it make it too cluttered? 🌿MtBotany (talk) 15:23, 24 October 2023 (UTC)
 * Side note/rant. I really wish there were a halfway choice between two words anywhere in the text and "this exact phrase". So often old botanical books would put the genus name on one line and the species name by itself on another line. It means if I'm looking for a text from before approximately 1890 I have to dig through a few jillion irrelevant results or get nothing. Especially the very early stuff with Latin descriptions using "odorata" as a word instead of a name. Though I suppose this is better than having to go through every text's index just looking or hoping that whoever did the card catalog was really obsessive.
 * But still. I can wish for a search that would be two words on the same page or on adjacent pages. 🌿MtBotany (talk) 13:15, 24 October 2023 (UTC)