BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS 41 



feet, and even this height is rarely attained ; in the 

 hilly inlands, on a lighter soil, where the water keeps 

 a lower level, they get a little bigger, and the largest 

 trees here reach a height of 26 feet. This height is 

 also attained in Java. 



According to Hart l the average height in Trinidad 

 is 15 to 25 feet, but in some countries he observed 

 trees of 30 and even 40 feet in height. In Grenada, 

 Tobago and St. Vincent the trees seem to be smaller 

 than in Trinidad ; in Grenada this may be partly due 

 to the absence of shade trees. 



When normally developed, the full-grown tree makes 

 its main ramification at a height of about 3 to 5 feet. 

 The stem ramificates into three, four, or five main 

 branches (rarely into less than three or more than five), 

 which soon make side branches and form a foliar system 

 which, when it develops quite freely, may attain an 

 average diameter of 20 to 26 feet. The foliar system 

 is very dense. 



Sometimes one of the main branches or the stem 

 just under the ramification makes a "sucker" or 

 " watershoot," which grows quickly and behaves like 

 a continuation of the main stem, ramificating again on 

 reaching a certain height, so that in this way the tree 

 may form two systems of branches above each other. 



The two varieties Forastero and Criollo behave 

 differently as regards their method of ramification and 

 also in some other respects regarding the vegetative 

 parts. These differences are described in Chapter V. 



Watershoots sometimes develop in large numbers 

 on vigorous specimens, especially at the foot of the 

 stem, but also along the stem and even on the branches. 



The leaves, when just unfolded, have a pale rosy 

 hue and are soft and limp ; soon their colour becomes 

 light green and they take on a leathery appearance, 

 the colour gradually growing darker. Trees which 

 produce red fruits have darker coloured leaves than 

 those with yellow fruits ; thus it can be told whether the 



1 Hart, Cacao (1911), p. 1. 



