Theobroma Cacao of Ecuador
Theobroma Cacao of Ecuador
To look at a cacao pod, you would never guess that the makings of a chocolate bar are hidden inside. The fruit of the cacao is encased in a hard, ridged, oblong-shaped pod that may grow as long as eight inches, ripening into various shades of green, red or yellow. Much of the premium cacao that grows in Ecuador comes from green-hulled pods that contain about thirty purple, almond-shaped seeds.
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Theobroma Cacao of Ecuador
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The cacao is not a tall tree, growing to between thirteen and thirty-two feet if cultivated on a plantation and twice as tall growing wild in the Ecuador Amazon Rainforest. The cacao flowers grow on the tropical tree’s trunk and lower branches, a profusion of delicate, mostly white blossoms. Only a few of the flowers bear fruit, starting when the tree reaches four or five years of age and peaking within the next five years. The cacao trees of Ecuador produce an average of between thirty and forty pods a year which take six months to ripen. The huge, pendulous pods, attached by thick, short stems, give the tree an exotic appearance. A Theobroma cacao tree makes a memorable photo of your Ecuador tours to show friends back home who may not know that chocolate grows on such trees.
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Cacao trees that live out their natural life span in the wild, may last as long as 200 years, and under cultivation, only a tenth the time. The trees that bear the fruit comprising most of Ecuador’s commercial cacao crop are susceptible to insect infestations and devastating fungal diseases with ominous names such as witch’s broom, black pod disease and frosty pod disease.
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Besides worry over insects, cacao farmers must contend with larger species, including monkeys, squirrels and birds that enjoy the sweet pulp of the cacao and discard the nasty-tasting seeds. That farmers must compete with a variety of cacao-loving wildlife is sometimes not bad for industry. Yes, if in getting to the pulp, the creatures injure the beans, the seeds will decay. But beans that fall unscathed to the ground, a destination they would not have reached encased in the pod, may generate another cacao tree.
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Visitors who travel to Ecuador will see Theobroma cacao trees growing on farms and plantations from the coast towards Andes, from Guayas Province north to Esmeraldas Province, and on Ecuador Amazon tours, growing wild along river banks.
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All of the Galapagos Islands cruises and two of the land-based Galapagos Islands tours that Southern Explorations offers may be started in Guayaquil, on the edge of the coastal cacao region. These are the nine-day Galapagos Hiking Adventure and Galapagos Multisport trips. To learn all about the Theobroma cacao in Ecuador and around the world, check out The Chocolate Tree, A Natural History of Cacao by zoologist, Allen M. Young.
