Scott A. Mori, Ph.D., Nathaniel Lord Britton Curator of Botany, has been studying New World rain forests at The New York Botanical Garden for 35 years. From 1978 to 1980 he took a leave from the Garden to serve as the Director of the Herbarium of the Cocoa Research Center in Bahia, Brazil.
A close-up of pods of a chocolate tree. The fruits can also be red at maturity.
On a previous blog, I covered the natural history of chocolate but failed to admit my addiction to this melt-in-your-mouth delight. This problem of mine has reached the point where I have asked my wife to hide it from me, and then only dole out small portions on special occasions. Nevertheless, I still scheme to get more chocolate from her. But she has become familiar with my tactics as the years have passed, making extra rations almost impossible to get my hands on.
Of course, chocolate doesn’t begin as the confection we know and love. The fruits of the cacao tree produce two edible treats for humans–the first is the pulp that surrounds the seed and the second is the bitter seed that, after processing, becomes the source of our favorite chocolate. Although the pulp can be made into a delicious juice, I usually open the pods and suck the pulp from the seeds to quench my thirst and boost my energy when I am collecting plants in the field. The pulp is the reward given to monkeys and other animals in exchange for disseminating the seeds, carrying them from the mother tree to a place where they have a better chance to germinate and escape predation. On the other hand, animals do not eat the seeds because they are too bitter.
Try not to think of February as the grim side of winter. It’s self-defeating! Instead, turn it into your warm-up to spring, a time to prepare for sunnier months–whether that’s daydreaming away the cold, getting back in shape, or shuffling your bathing suits to an easy-to-reach spot in the closet. In some sense, that’s been the regimen here at the NYBG since the holidays passed, where we’re readying ourselves for the triumphant return of the green by reveling in all things palm-trees-and-coconuts. If you haven’t been to see Tropical Paradiseyet, you can’t say you’ve relaxed this season!
Under the glass of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, where the snow and the sleet are stopped at the velvet rope, we’re celebrating our permanent collection–the towering tropical trees and broad-leaved beauties that transform our little corner of New York City into a living rain forest. And in between the tours through our misty cloud forest houses and the rare, exotic species growing within, we’re filling in all the little gaps with tropical music, art, and more. Whether you come for the Caribbean tunes, the ongoing photography events, or the simple opportunity to stuff your gloves in your pocket and breathe, you’ve got until February 24 to make it happen! After that, we’re not losing momentum–you’ll be saying hello to the Orchid Showbefore you can say “strawberry daiquiri.”
In the Conservatory, right now. Where the temperatures are a little closer to a Hawaiian forest, and the precipitation comes as mist–not so much sleet.
Tropical Paradise is up and running in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory! And the blueberries–neotropical blueberries, sure, but still relatives!–are cast in stunning colors. Keep an eye out for them, but as always, please look–don’t touch. (As it turns out, not everything that sounds like food really is.)
Whether it grabs you as reminiscent of a whispy starfish or a snarl of streamers, this wine-hued curiosity is worth a second look. You won’t catch Herrania balaensis growing beyond the borders of Ecuador, and even there it’s a rarity.
Herrania balaensis var. pouess — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
No worries! The Holiday Train Show is still chugging merrily along in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and it will continue to do so through this coming Sunday–January 13. But after that, we’re moving on to other things. Make time while you still can!
