21 February 2024

Theobroma (ThursdayTreeLove)

 We meet a product of this plant quite often.. we consume it often in most age groups and for some it is a prohibited joy. We have it as  a treat/gift it/ relish it on the cheat day of a diet and so on...

You may have guessed.. I am referring to the Chocolate.. which is made from Cocoa beans that grow on the Theobroma cacao trees of the Sterculiaceae family. 

It is an introduced species in India but seems to be very happy in our southern states where it is widely cultivated and we are now a significant producer of Cocoa beans. These images are from Munnar where it is a common sight. 

The evergreen tree is well branched with shiny green leaves. Its small whitish flowers and grow directly on the trunk and thereafter it grow into a large fruit that's yellow when ripe. 


Cauliflory - refers to flowers that grow directly on the trunk

Tiny fruit visible

A small tree that stands out in the lush green countryside

The fruit needs some processing to extract chocolate as we know it. There are several chocolate making units in Munnar but I could not see their extraction process. 
So that would be for another visit and post!
:-) :-)

Next time you eat chocolate, do think of this flower and tree with the unique sounding name!

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Do head over to see some fantastic trees from around the world.
Better still, join in!



4 comments:

  1. https://linsartyblobs.blogspot.comFebruary 22, 2024 at 1:00 AM

    It's so unusual to see flowers growing from the bark.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ParulFebruary 23, 2024 at 8:37 PM

    What a tasty one you got!
    I did not know that the tree is Theobroma.I only know the famous cake chain by that name :P
    Thanks for joining Archana. I am late but not going to miss posting.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ArchanaFebruary 27, 2024 at 11:53 AM

    Thanks Linn! We have a couple of species that show Cauliflory. Namely Crescentia cujete (not seen often) and Couroupita guianensis - very common tree. But yes, this is an usual feature

    ReplyDelete
  4. ArchanaFebruary 27, 2024 at 11:53 AM

    Thanks Parul. Happy to be part of TTL!

    ReplyDelete

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