Theobroma grandiflorum

A small to medium tree in the Rainforest canopy which belongs to the Chocolate family and can reach up to 60Ft Rainforest regions with it seeds being dispersed by birds and monkeys which feast on the tasty fruit pulp. Indigenous tribes as well as local communities along the Amazon have cultivated Cupuacu as a primary food source for generations. In remote times, Cupuacu seeds were traded along the Rio Negro and Upper Orinoco rivers where river tribes drink Cupuacu juice after it has been blessed by a shaman to facilitate difficult births. Cupuacu fruit has been a primary food source in the Rainforest for both indigenous tribes and animals. It is about the size of a cantaloupe and is highly prized for its creamy exotic tasting pulp. The pulp occupies approximately one-third of the fruit and is used throughout Brazil and Peru to make fresh juice, ice cream, jam and tarts. The fruit ripens in the rainy months from January to April and is considered a culinary delicacy in South American cities where demand outstrips supply. Like chocolate, the fruit has a large center seed pod filled with "beans", which the Tikuna tribe utilize for abdominal pains. Ethnomedical properties: nutritive, stimulant, tonic.

Similar plants:

• Herrania nitida, Theobroma nitidum (Monkey Cocoa)
• Theobroma bicolor (White cacao, Macambo, Motelo)
• Theobroma cacao (Chocolate Tree, Cacao, Cocoa Tree)