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  2. Facts about Theobroma cacao (cacao tree)12345:
    • It is a tropical evergreen tree grown for its edible seeds.
    • Its scientific name means “food of the gods” in Greek.
    • Native to lowland rainforests of the Amazon and Orinoco river basins.
    • The tree produces large, oval pods which contain cacao beans.
    • Cacao seeds are used to make chocolate liquor, cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and chocolate.
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    cacao, (Theobroma cacao), tropical evergreen tree (family Malvaceae) grown for its edible seeds, whose scientific name means “food of the gods” in Greek. Native to lowland rainforests of the Amazon and Orinoco river basins, cacao is grown commercially in the New World tropics as well as western Africa and tropical Asia.
    What is Theobroma Cacao? Theobroma Cacao is a small evergreen tree native to the tropical regions of Central and South America. It is the plant responsible for the world's chocolate production. The tree produces large, oval pods which contain cacao beans.
    www.whitakerschocolates.com/blogs/blog/theobro…
    Theobroma cacao (cacao tree or cocoa tree) is a small (6–12 m (20–39 ft) tall) evergreen tree in the family Malvaceae. Its seeds, cocoa beans, are used to make chocolate liquor, cocoa solids, cocoa butter and chocolate.
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theobroma_cacao
    Theobroma cacao is a small, wide-branching, evergreen tree that is native to tropical rainforest areas of Central and South America. It typically grows in the wild to 20-30' tall with glossy, oblong, drooping, bright green leaves (4-8" long). Seeds from this tree are the source of cocoa, cocoa butter and chocolate.
    www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/Plan…
    Theobroma cacao or Cacao is a small, evergreen tree about 8 m in height and 30 cm in trunk diameter. It is native to Central and South America. The leaves are large, simple, and alternate, about 40 cm long and 5-20 cm broad. The flowers, small with pink calyx, occur in clusters on the trunk and older branches. It is pollinated by small flies.
    pfaf.org/User/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Theobroma+…
     
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    Theobroma cacao - Wikipedia

    Theobroma cacao (cacao tree or cocoa tree) is a small (6–12 m (20–39 ft) tall) evergreen tree in the family Malvaceae. Its seeds - cocoa beans - are used to make chocolate liquor, cocoa solids, cocoa butter and chocolate. Although the tree is native to the tropics of the Americas, the largest producer of cocoa … See more

    Flowers
    The flowers are produced in clusters directly on the trunk and older branches; this is known as cauliflory. The flowers are small, 1–2 cm (3⁄8–13⁄16 in) diameter, with pink See more

    T. cacao is widely distributed from southeastern Mexico to the Amazon basin. There were originally two hypotheses about its … See more

    The pests and diseases to which cacao is subject, along with climate change, mean that new varieties will be needed to respond to these … See more

    Domestication
    The cacao tree, native of the Amazon rainforest, was first domesticated at least 5,300 years ago, in equatorial South America from the See more

    Cultivation image
    History of cultivation image

    The generic name Theobroma is derived from the Greek for "food of the gods"; from θεός (theos), meaning 'god' or 'divine', and βρῶμα (broma), … See more

    In 2016, cocoa beans were cultivated on roughly 10,200,000 hectares (25,000,000 acres) worldwide. Cocoa beans are grown by large agroindustrial plantations and small producers, the bulk of production coming from millions of farmers with small plots. A tree … See more

    The genome of T. cacao is diploid, its size is 430 Mbp, and it comprises 10 chromosome pairs (2n=2x=20). In September 2010, a … See more

     
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  4. Cacao | Description, Cultivation, Pests, & Diseases | Britannica