CHOCOLATE TREEThe Chocolate Tree chronicles the natural and cultural history of Theobroma cacao and explores its ecological niche. Tracing cacao's "journey" out of the rain forest, into pre-Columbian gardens, and then onto plantations adjacent to rain forests, Allen M. Young describes the production of this essential crop, explaining how the seeds are extracted from the large, colorful pods. He details the environmental price of Europeanized cultivation, and ways that current reclamation efforts for New World rain forests can improve the natural ecology of the cacao tree. Recounting more than a dozen years of ecological fieldwork in and around cacao plantations in Costa Rica, Young reviews his research into the problem of poor levels of natural pollination on plantations. He recalls encounters with sloths, toucans, butterflies, giant tarantula hawk wasps, and other creatures found in cacao groves. Among these creatures Young discovered a tiny fly that provides a vital link between the chocolate tree and its original rain forest habitat. This discovery leads him to conclude that cacao trees in cultivation today may have lost their original insect pollinators due to the plants' long history of agricultural manipulation. |
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Page 1
... rain forests , the cacao tree , Theobroma ca- cao , is an ancient bridge between natural and human history . As well , it reminds us that only a minuscule portion of the tropical rain forest's botanical wealth , the immense store of ...
... rain forests , the cacao tree , Theobroma ca- cao , is an ancient bridge between natural and human history . As well , it reminds us that only a minuscule portion of the tropical rain forest's botanical wealth , the immense store of ...
Page 10
... rain forests , comes from the likely movement of cacao fruits and seeds by early peoples along rivers and streams in the Upper Amazonian regions of Ecuador and Colombia , the most likely places to find wild cacao . Early peoples ...
... rain forests , comes from the likely movement of cacao fruits and seeds by early peoples along rivers and streams in the Upper Amazonian regions of Ecuador and Colombia , the most likely places to find wild cacao . Early peoples ...
Page 162
... rain forests , a natural assemblage of parasites exploits Caligo caterpillars ; this , the best form of biological control , can also serve the needs of the banana grower . When ba- nana fields are left unsprayed , the assemblage of ...
... rain forests , a natural assemblage of parasites exploits Caligo caterpillars ; this , the best form of biological control , can also serve the needs of the banana grower . When ba- nana fields are left unsprayed , the assemblage of ...
Contents
The Cultivation of Cacao Past and Present | 14 |
Cacao and Agriculture in Costa Rica | 48 |
Excursions into the Natural History of Cacao and Cacao Plantations | 80 |
Copyright | |
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13th Dalai Lama agricultural Amdo areas Avalokitesvara banana betan Bhutan Bön Bönpo Buddha Buddhist cacao flowers cacao plantations cacao trees celibate centers Central America central Tibet century ch'öpa Chapter Chinese chocolate clerical cocoa context Costa Rica cultivation cultural patterns Dalai Lama developed Dingri Dorjé Drugpa Dzogch'en early Ekvall Enlightenment gall midges Gelugpa Geshé gompa Guru Rimpoch'e Indian insects K'am Kagyüdpa Karma Karmapa Ladakh Lama's Lhasa Lhasa government lineages Mahāyāna major meditation Milarepa monastery monastic gompa monks nature Nepal Norbu Nyingmapa Orientation pods political pollination practitioners prajñā premodern rain forest rebirth region reincarnate lama religious Rimed ritual role rulers Sakya Sakyapa samsāra seeds shamanic Sherpa siddhas Snellgrove species Sūtras Tantra Tantric Tantric deities Tantric practice teachings terma tertön texts Theobroma Theravadin Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan population Tibetan religion Tibetan societies tion tradition trapa tropical trulku Trungpa Tsongk'apa Vajrayāna village wild cacao yogic yogins