Much of the region of tropical America in which G. sepium is
now distributed has undergone such a high degree of
human disturbance that it is extremely difficult to do more
than postulate its true native distribution. When the Spanish
colonists arrived in Mexico and Central America they observed
indigenous peoples using and cultivating G.sepium for a number
of purposes including shade for cocoa trees. Indeed several
of the vernacular names derive from these observations: xakyaab
(Maya) cacahuananche (Nahuatl) and madre de cacao (Spanish) all meaning "mother of cacao" (Hughes 1987).
Publication year
1996
Authors
Keywords
Seed dispersal, Pollination, Flowers, Pods, Reproduction, Habitats
