''Theobroma'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the mallow family,

Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ...

, that is sometimes classified as a member of

Sterculiaceae Sterculiaceae was a family of flowering plant based on the genus ''Sterculia''. Genera formerly included in Sterculiaceae are now placed in the family Malvaceae, in the subfamilies: Byttnerioideae, Dombeyoideae, Helicteroideae and Sterculioideae. A ...

. It contains roughly 20 species of small

understory In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but abo ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s native to the

tropical forest Tropical forests (a.k.a. jungle) are forested landscapes in tropical regions: ''i.e.'' land areas approximately bounded by the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing winds. Some tropical fore ...

s of Central and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

. ''

Theobroma cacao ''Theobroma cacao'', also called the cacao tree and the cocoa tree, is a small ( tall) evergreen tree in the family Malvaceae. Its seeds, cocoa beans, are used to make chocolate liquor, cocoa solids, cocoa butter and chocolate. The largest pr ...

'', the best known species of the genus, is used for making chocolate.

Cupuaçu ''Theobroma grandiflorum'', commonly known as cupuaçu, also spelled cupuassu, cupuazú, cupu assu, or copoazu, is a tropical rainforest tree related to cacao. Native and common throughout the Amazon basin, it is naturally cultivated in the jung ...

(''Theobroma grandiflorum'') and Mocambo (''Theobroma bicolor'') are also of some economic importance.

Taxonomy

The generic name is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

words ''theos'' meaning "god" and ''broma'' meaning "food" translating to "food of the gods".

Selected species

*''

Theobroma angustifolium ''Theobroma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that is sometimes classified as a member of Sterculiaceae. It contains roughly 20 species of small understory trees native to the tropical forests of Central and So ...

'' DC. *'' Theobroma bicolor'' Humb. & Bonpl. – mocambo *''

'' L. – cacao *''

Theobroma canumanense ''Theobroma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that is sometimes classified as a member of Sterculiaceae. It contains roughly 20 species of small understory trees native to the tropical forests of Central and S ...

'' Pires & Froes ex Cuatrec. *''

Theobroma grandiflorum ''Theobroma grandiflorum'', commonly known as cupuaçu, also spelled cupuassu, cupuazú, cupu assu, or copoazu, is a tropical rainforest tree related to cacao. Native and common throughout the Amazon basin, it is naturally cultivated in the jung ...

'' (Willd. ex Spreng.) K.Schum. – cupuaçu *''

Theobroma mammosum ''Theobroma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that is sometimes classified as a member of Sterculiaceae. It contains roughly 20 species of small understory trees native to the tropical forests of Central and S ...

'' Cuatrec. & Léon *''

Theobroma microcarpum ''Theobroma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that is sometimes classified as a member of Sterculiaceae. It contains roughly 20 species of small understory trees native to the tropical forests of Central and S ...

'' Mart. *''

Theobroma obovatum ''Theobroma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that is sometimes classified as a member of Sterculiaceae. It contains roughly 20 species of small understory trees native to the tropical forests of Central and So ...

'' Klotzsch ex Bernoulli *'' Theobroma simiarum'' Donn.Sm. *'' Theobroma speciosum'' Willd. ex Spreng. – cacaui *''

Theobroma stipulatum ''Theobroma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that is sometimes classified as a member of Sterculiaceae. It contains roughly 20 species of small understory trees native to the tropical forests of Central and So ...

'' Cuatrec. *''

Theobroma subincanum ''Theobroma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that is sometimes classified as a member of Sterculiaceae. It contains roughly 20 species of small understory trees native to the tropical forests of Central and S ...

'' Mart. *''

Theobroma sylvestre ''Theobroma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that is sometimes classified as a member of Sterculiaceae. It contains roughly 20 species of small understory trees native to the tropical forests of Central and S ...

'' Mart.

Formerly placed here

*''

Abroma augustum ''Abroma augustum'', sometimes written ''Abroma augusta'', Devil's cotton, is a species of '' Abroma'' (Sterculiaceae, or Malvaceae in some classifications). It has dark red flowers with an characteristic and unusual appearance. It is widely dis ...

'' (L.) L.f. (as ''T. augustum'' L.) *''

Guazuma ulmifolia ''Guazuma ulmifolia'', commonly known as West Indian elm or bay cedar, is a medium-sized tree normally found in pastures and disturbed forests. This flowering plant from the family Malvaceae grows up to 30m in height and 30–40cm in diameter. I ...

'' Lam. (as ''T. guazuma'' L.) *''

Herrania albiflora ''Herrania'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae, subfamily Byttnerioideae. It is closely related to the genus ''Theobroma'', which includes cacao. As of 1999, there were about 17 species in ''Herrania''. Species Species inc ...

'' Goudot (as ''T. albiflorum'' (Goudot) De Wild.) *''

Herrania mariae ''Herrania mariae'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is native to South America - Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the la ...

'' (Mart.) Decne. ex Goudot (as ''T. mariae'' (Mart.) K. Schum.) *'' Herrania purpurea'' (Pittier) R. E. Schult. (as ''T. purpureum'' Pittier) Theobroma fruits

Uses

Several species of ''Theobroma'' produce edible seeds, notably cacao,

cupuaçu ''Theobroma grandiflorum'', commonly known as cupuaçu, also spelled cupuassu, cupuazú, cupu assu, or copoazu, is a tropical rainforest tree related to cacao. Native and common throughout the Amazon basin, it is naturally cultivated in the jung ...

, and mocambo. Cacao is commercially valued as the source of cocoa and

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...

. ''Theobroma'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e of some

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

s of the genus ''

Endoclita ''Endoclita'' is a genus of moths of the family Hepialidae. There are 60 described species found in eastern and southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Species *'' Endoclita aboe'' – India *''Endoclita absurdus'' – China *''Endoclita ...

'', including '' E. chalybeatus'', '' E. damor'', '' E. hosei'' and '' E. sericeus''. The larvae of another moth, '' Hypercompe muzina'', feed exclusively on ''Theobroma cacao''. An active ingredient of cacao,

theobromine Theobromine, also known as xantheose, is the principal alkaloid of '' Theobroma cacao'' (cacao plant). Theobromine is slightly water-soluble (330 mg/L) with a bitter taste. In industry, theobromine is used as an additive and precursor to ...

, is named for the genus.

References

External links

* * Malvaceae genera {{Byttnerioideae-stub