Where do the cocoa flowers grow?

Cocoa needs a high temperature, plenty of water, and air that is always moist. Therefore, cocoa is grown in the hot and humid regions of Africa (mainly in forest regions), Central and South America, Asia and Oceania.

What is the cocoa flower called?

cauliflory
Cacao and it’s many related trees flower in an unusual way – they burst a spray of very small flowers right out of growth nodes along the trunk and main branches. This feature is called a “cauliflory”.

Does cocoa plant have flower?

A mature cacao tree can produce many thousands of flowers each year. These flowers are tiny, only a half inch or so in diameter (1-2 cm). The flowers typically grow in clusters directly from the trunk of the tree or off large branches.

What is cocoa Wikipedia?

The cocoa bean (technically cocoa seed) or simply cocoa (/ˈkoʊ. koʊ/), also called the cacao bean (technically cacao seed) or cacao (/kəˈkaʊ/), is the dried and fully fermented seed of Theobroma cacao, from which cocoa solids (a mixture of nonfat substances) and cocoa butter (the fat) can be extracted.

How many cocoa pods are in a tree?

30 pods
With proper care, most cocoa trees yield pods by the fourth or fifth year and can continue for another 30 years. A typical pod contains 30 to 40 beans and there are about 30 pods per tree; approximately 400 dried beans are required to make one pound of cocoa.

What are the main characteristics of cocoa tree?

Description of the cocoa tree

• It has erect and smooth trunk with pale brownish color, almost white.
• Cocoa tree flowers are small with creamy yellow petals and pink sepals.
• From flower fruits are produced.
• Inside the fruits, wrapped in a milky pulp, there are some 20 or 40 seeds from which the cocoa powder is made.

How are cacao flowers pollinated?

Flies, you see, are the only pollinators of chocolate, or more specifically Theobroma cacao, the cacao or cocoa tree. This plant species has a complex reproductive structure, so complex in fact that only one group of very small flies, amusingly known as No See Ums, can pollinate it.

What does a cocoa flower look like?

The leaves emerge a reddish hue and turn to glossy green as they grow up to two feet long. Small pink or white flowers cluster on the tree’s trunk or lower branches during the spring and summer. Once pollinated, the flowers become ridged pods up to 14 inches (35.5 cm.) long, filled with beans.

What pollinates cocoa flowers?

What is made from cocoa plant?

Cocoa is the key ingredient in chocolate and chocolate confections. The cocoa bean is the seed of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao), a tropical plant indigenous to the equatorial regions of the Americas. From the processed cocoa bean comes the fluid paste, or liquor, from which cocoa powder and chocolate are made.

Where does cocoa come from?

The cocoa tree is native to the Amazon Basin in South America, with evidence suggesting that cocoa was first domesticated here, before being farmed in Central America. Now, the cocoa tree is cultivated in many different countries all over the world, as long as it meets the ideal conditions for the plant.

How many years does it take cocoa to grow?

Harvesting. With care, most cacao trees begin to yield pods at peak production levels by the fifth year, which can continue for another 10‒20 years. Ripe pods may be found on cacao trees at any time, however, most countries have 2 periods of time per year of peak production.

What is the name of the plant that produces cocoa?

Cacao tree. species of plant, the Cacao plant. The cacao tree is a small tree originally grown in tropical South America. It is small, and only grows to 4 to 8 meters in height. Its seeds are called cocoa and are used to produce cocoa butter, the chocolate drink, as well as chocolate.

What is the scientific name of the cacao plant?

Malvaceae. Genus: Theobroma. Species: T. cacao. Binomial name. Theobroma cacao. L. The cacao tree is a small tree originally grown in tropical South America.

What is the name of the tree that produces chocolate?

& Bey Theobroma cacao, also called the cacao tree and the cocoa tree, is a small (4–8 m (13–26 ft) tall) evergreen tree in the family Malvaceae. Its seeds, cocoa beans, are used to make chocolate liquor, cocoa solids, cocoa butter and chocolate.

What is the name of the tree with cocoa beans?

Theobroma cacao, also called the cacao tree and the cocoa tree, is a small (4–8 m (13–26 ft) tall) evergreen tree in the family Malvaceae. Its seeds, cocoa beans, are used to make chocolate liquor, cocoa solids, cocoa butter and chocolate.