But attempts by horticulturists to produce fruit from the plant were largely unsuccessful because of the absence of its natural pollinators, bees of the genus Melipona. So Mexico had a monopoly on the vanilla trade from the 16th century until the 19th century.
पण, नैसर्गिक परागण घडवणाऱ्‍या मेलीपोना कुळातील मधमाश्‍या नसल्यामुळे या वनस्पतीला फळे आणण्यात उद्यानविज्ञान तज्ज्ञ अपयशी ठरले.