The very first plant logged in The Spheres plant collection was a Mountain Cacao specimen. Also known as Herrania balaensis, this Ecuadorean cacao species produces pods that can be used to make a sweet and high-quality chocolate.
One driving philosophy behind the plant collection was the concept that The Spheres should feel like “year five on day one.” In light of this principle, Amazon Horticulture sourced plants from botanical gardens, private growers, and universities all over the world years before The Spheres opened. These plants are still grown and cared for in the Amazon greenhouse as part of Horticulture’s larger plant collection. Plants regularly circulate between The Spheres and the greenhouses dependent on the season.