Herrania purpurea
The size of the plant and of its bag can vary a little from the photograph — each one grows at its own pace. We keep them as consistent as we can.
Overview
A wild relative of cacao, native to Costa Rica: monkey cacao. Its dark purple flowers, with long ribbon-like petals, sprout straight from the trunk, just like its small ribbed pods. The white pulp around the seeds is tangy, refreshing and delicious.
Culture
- Habit
- Evergreen Tree
- Height
- 3.00 m
- Cultivation Status
- Wild
Native from Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama to Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador. In the wild it grows in the lowlands, often along rivers, on land that floods in the rainy season. It's a small tree, about 3 meters tall, with a single trunk that branches only at the top. It adapts to most soils and grows best in the shade of taller trees.
Edible Uses
The white pulp around the seeds is eaten raw; it's tastiest just before the fruit is fully ripe. The seeds make a bitter, cocoa-like drink.
Medicinal
No documented medicinal uses are known.
Traditional uses for information only. Not a substitute for advice from a health professional.
Agroforestry
A climax species of the low stratum, perfect for the shady understory of the system, next to cacao. Its small size lets you slot it between larger trees, and it tolerates the low, wet parts of the land.