10 Facts about Cacao Trees

One of the evergreen trees in the family Malvaceae is explained in facts about cacao trees.  This evergreen tree is small. It has the height at 13 to 26 feet or 4 to 8 meters. It has the scientific name of Theobroma cacao. The cacao tree is native to South America and Central America. Let’s find out more interesting facts about cacao trees below:

Facts about Cacao Trees 1:the cacao beans

The people grow cacao trees because they want to get the cacao beans. They can be used to produce chocolate, coco powder and cacao mass.

Facts about Cacao Trees 2: the leaves of cacao trees

Cacao trees have the unlobed and alternate leaves. The width of the leaves is 2 till 7.9 inches, while the length is 3.9 to 15.7 inches.

Cacao Tree

Facts about Cacao Trees 3: the flowers

You can find the flowers of cacao trees located at the older branches or trunk. They are small. The diameter of the flowers is 1 to 2 cm. They are called cauliflory.

Facts about Cacao Trees 4: the pollination

The flowers of cacao trees are unique because the tiny flies pollinate them.  If you check the common flowers, they are pollinated by moths, bees or butterflies.

Cacao Trees Facts

Facts about Cacao Trees 5: the fruit

The cacao pod is the fruit of cacao trees.  It has the width at 8 to 10 cm and the length is at 15 to 30 cm.  The weight of this fruit is around 1.1 lb or 500 gram when it is ripened. The color of the fruit is orange to yellow. Check facts about barley here.

Facts about Cacao Trees 6: what is inside the pod?

Inside the cacao pod, you can find out the cacao beans. There are around 20 to 60 seeds inside the pod. All of them are covered inside the white pulps.

Cacao Trees Image

Facts about Cacao Trees 7: chocolate

Chocolate is made of the cacao seeds. In some countries, the pulp is used to produce nata, jelly, smoothies and juice.

Facts about Cacao Trees 8: the alcoholic beverage

The people in United States create the alcoholic beverages from the distilled fermented pulp from Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Peru.

Cacao Trees

Facts about Cacao Trees 9: the fat

There are around 40 to 50 percent of fat in each seed. You can call it as cacao butter. Check facts about cacao here.

Facts about Cacao Trees 10: the usage of cacao trees in the history

Cacao had been used extensively in the history.  It was mixed with other ingredients such as chili, maize, honey and vanilla.

Facts about Cacao Trees

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