Theobroma cacao L.

Tree usually 4-8 m. high, rarely taller and up to 20 m.; growth below jorquette; primary branching quinate; young branchlets terete, grayish-green or brownish, densely or sparsely pubescent with slender, patulous, acute, simple or furcate hairs, later glabrate, rugulose and sparsely lenticellate; stipules subulate, deciduous. Leaves alternate, distichous, the petioles thickened-pulvinate at both ends, 1.5-2 (1-3) cm. long, on orthotropous stems 3-10 cm. long, pubescent or tomentose with slender, spreading, acute, simple hairs; blade subobovate-oblong or elliptic-oblong, slightly asymmetrical, rounded or obtuse at base, attenuate and acuminate at apex, entire or slightly and irregularly sinuate, 15-50 cm. long and 4-15 cm. broad, cori-aceous or chartaceous, the acumen acute or subacute and 1-2.5 mm. long; upper surface green, glabrous except for the pubescent or puberulous, prominent costa, the secondary nerves filiform; lower surface lighter green, glabrous or with very sparse, minute, simple, furcate or stellate hairs, rarely puberulous, the costa prominent, the 9-12 secondary nerves on each side prominent, subpatulous. Infiorescences on the trunk and on the branches, usually borne on small tubercles, the cymose peduncles 1-3 mm. long, stellate-pubescent, hirtellous and with scattered, glandular hairs; bracts and bracteoles ovate or ovate-oblong, acute or subacute, pubescent, deciduous; pedicels capillary, rigid, 5-15 mm. long, pale green, whitish or reddish, hirtellous with patulous, stellate or furcate hairs and glandular, capitate hairs; buds ovoid or oblong-ovoid, acute, white, whitish-green, lilac or reddish, subglabrous or sparsely puberulous. Flowers with lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate sepals, these shortly united at base, acute at apex, 5-8 mm. long and 1.5-2 mm. wide, thick-membranaceous, white, greenish-white, pale violaceous or reddish, slightly 3-nerved, glabrous or with stellate and glandular hairs outside, glabrous or with rare, glan-dular hairs inside; petals thick-membranaceous; petal-hoods obovate, rounded at apex, 3-4 mm. long and 5-2 mm. wide, white, 3-nerved; petal-laminae stipitate, the stipe linear and 2-4 mm. long, obovate or rombic-obovate, the apex attenuate, acuminate or subtruncate and shortly mucronate, rarely blunt, the margin entire or sinuate, 1.5-2.5 mm. long and 1.5-2 mm. wide, pale yellowish; staminodes nar-rowly subulate, very acute, 4-6 mm. long, the middle vein thick, angular, red or purplish, minutely papillose-pilose, the thin margin whitish, ciliate with slender, flexuose, simple hairs; filaments 1.5-2 mm. long, glabrous, 2-antheriferous; ovary glabrous or usually glandular, the glands numerous, stipitate, white or reddish, pluricellular; styles adherent, glabrous. Fruit variable in shape, from globose to fusiform and acute, with a very smooth to a strongly ridged and rugose or verrucose surface; pericarp consistently fleshy, 5-15 mm. thick, usually made of 2 more or less conspicuously different, carnose layers (epicarp and endocarp) separated by a thin, ligneous membrane (mesocarp), the latter sometimes reduced to isolated bundles of fibers or lacking, the endocarp also sometimes lacking; pulp white and sweet; seeds 20-40, ovoid, ellipsoid, amygdaloid, more or less complanate or almost round in cross-section, variable in size, 20-40 mm. long and 12-20 mm. broad, the testa subcoriaceous, brown; cotyledons white, purplish, violet or intermediate in color.

A tropical plant. It is native from Mexico to Central America. It grows in lowland areas with a rainfall around 2,000 mm annually. It can grow in areas with rainfall between 1,200 and 7,000 mm. Plants do best in acid or neutral soil which is well drained. It has a long tap root which will not develop on rocky or hard soil. Cocoa does not do well on windy sites where there are sudden fluctuations of humidity. Shade trees help provide these conditions. It needs temperatures above 20°C. In PNG it mostly grows below 800 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 11-12. In Yunnan.

The seeds are eaten. The seeds are also processed and used for chocolate. The seeds are fermented for 6 days to remove the flesh then washed and dried. The pulp in the pod is edible when ripe. It is used in jellies and sweets.

Plants are grown from seed. Seed can be sown in pots in a nursery then transplanted or can be sown directly. Seedlings need shade. Plants can also be grown from cuttings. Cuttings from side branches are used. Cuttings are normally raised in a nursery. Seeds should be removed from the pod and dried but should not be stored for more than 3 months. Seeds germinate in 1 week. Plants should be spaced 3 m apart. Plants can be pruned. Flowers are pollinated by insects.