Cocao Trees, Theobroma cacao
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| Cocao Trees, Theobroma cacao - Growing Among 2600 Year Old Ruins Of The Ancient Mayan City Of Izapa In Chiapas, Mexico. |
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| Cocao Trees, Theobroma cacao - These Trees Provide An Income To The Farmers Who Live Among The Ruins. |
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| Cocao Trees, Theobroma cacao - Izapa In Chiapas, Mexico Is About 5 Miles From Guatemala, Near Pacific Ocean. |
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| Cocao Tree Flowers | Cocao Green Seed Pod |
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| Cocao Orchard | Green Immature Cocao Fruit |
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| Mature Cocao Fruit Before Seeds Are Dried They Will Grow Into Plants About 35 Seeds Per Fruit | Dried Cocao Seeds Can Be Ground For Chocolate Will Not Grow Into Plants |
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| Mature Cocao Fruit Fresh Seeds Grow Into Plants | Seeds Surrounded By A Sugar Type Of Coating That When Fermented Gives Chocolate Flavor |
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| Cocao Seed Sprout Side View To Germinate, The Seed Must Be Removed From The White Sheath It Must Be Kept Moist | Cocao Seed Sprout Anterior View The Seed Must Be Immediately Planted Before It Drys In Any Way |
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| Cocao Seed Sprout First Leafs | Cocao Seed Sprout First Leafs |
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| Young Cocao Plant 19 Days Old | Young Cocao Plant 19 Days Old |
Cocao Tree It is believed that the cocoa tree originated near the headwaters of the Amazon Basin and in early times it was spread throughout the central part of Amazonia ö Guiana, westward and northward to the south of Mexico. Today Cocao Trees are also found in other tropical areas of the world, such as West Africa, notably Nigeria, Ghana and the Ivory coast, which produce two thirds of the total world crop of 2 million tons per year (Bendicks). The scientific name Theobroma means "food of the gods", while cacao probably comes from the Yucatec Maya word cacau. They grow best in the shade of other trees, so farmers tend to plant taller trees around them. Cocoa is finely pulverised de-fatted, roasted "Cacao" kernels, to which natural and artificial spices and flavours may be added. It is commercially manufactured by pumping hot Chocolate liquor (semi-liquid ground cacao kernels) into hydraulic cage presses where, under extreme pressure, part of the fat, or cocoa butter, is removed. The fat content of cocoa varies from less than 10% to 22% or more for breakfast or high fat cocoa. Cocoa may be Dutch-processed by a mild alkali treatment to change and darken the color and improve flavor.
We have personally grown this plant in Glendale, Arizona. We are including this plant in our web page since there are groups of gardners in Arizona who like to grow tropical plants. It will not grow in Arizona without a lot of care and protection from the sun. We recommend a good fungicide to prevent a black leaf fungus. Even so, we do not expect the plant to produce fruit because we expect the tree to die before it reaches a fruit producing age of 8 - 12 years.
Height: 12 feet - 30 feet with slightly less spread. |