Theobroma cacao

General Description:

Theobroma cacao a small evergreen tree, up to 4-8m. in height, with a dense rounded crown, cultivated in some localities in South India and Orissa. The tree has characteristics morphological features. The seedling forms a straight main stem, 1.0-1.7 m. high and then divides into 3-5 almost horizontal branches forming the so-called fan or jorquette, the terminal bud being used up in the branching. Further increase in height is affected by a sucker or chupon, which arise later, usually just below the jorquette and grows up vertically between the branches of the latter, or repeat higher up the branching of the main trunk and fprm a second storey.