page_title: Theobroma bicolor
section_title: Cultivation and use
hierarchical_section_title: Theobroma bicolor / Cultivation and use
caption_attribution_description: Roy Bateman, Fruits of 4 Theobroma species - taken at CRIG, Ghana
context_page_description: Theobroma bicolor, known commonly as the mocambo tree, jaguar tree, balamte, or pataxte, among various other common names, is a tree in the genus Theobroma, which also contains the better-known Theobroma cacao. It is known from Central and South America, including stretches of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
context_section_description: Theobroma bicolor was historically cultivated by the Aztecs alongside T. cacao for production of chocolate, although when chocolate was introduced to the Spaniards, they considered the product of T. bicolor to be of a lower quality. Its seeds can also be eaten fried or in soups, and the seed pods when emptied are used as planters and containers. The pulp which surrounds the seeds can be eaten fresh, and has a sweet, mild taste.
  When the fruit is ripe, it naturally detaches from the tree branches and falls to the ground; the general method of harvesting is collecting the fallen fruit.
  Mayas placed a high value on the buttery foam crowning beverages of cacao and maize, according to descriptions from the time of the Conquista, and it appears that a thick, stable foam can be produced using fruits of T. bicolor as source of cacao, but not with T. cacao fruits.
caption: From left to right: The fruits of T. grandiflorum, T. bicolor, T. speciosum, and T. cacao, photo by Roy Bateman
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