Vanilla is an attractive perennial with single, long-petiolate, ternate (3 leaflets) leaves which are fan-shaped with coarsely-toothed leaf edges. The leaf blade is roughly 5-20 cm wide, with the whole leaf ranging from 10-30 cm long. Dry leaves smell of vanilla.
The flower scape is separate from the leaf and ranges from 20-40 cm tall. The apex of the stem has a dense spike (2.5-5 cm long) of tiny white flowers with no petals nor sepals. The stamens number from 8-12 or more.
Vanilla leaf is most commonly found in deep, undisturbed forests, but may also found in the open along streams.
Vanilla leaf may be found from British Columbia from the eastern base of the Cascades west to the coast, and south to Sherman and Wasco counties, Oregon, and south on the western side of the Cascades of Oregon to northwestern California.