''Theobroma bicolor'', known commonly as the mocambo tree, jaguar tree, balamte, or pataxte, among various other common names, is a tree in the genus ''

Theobroma ''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 ...

'' (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 ...

), which also contains the better-known ''

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 ...

'' (cocoa tree). It is found in 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 ...

, including stretches of the Amazon rainforest in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, Colombia,

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

, and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

Taxonomy

''Theobroma bicolor'' is the only species in the ''Rhytidocarpus'' section of ''Theobroma''.Page 289, ''Food and Fruit-Bearing Forest Species, 3: Examples from Latin America/F2911'' Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Forest Resources Development Branch, 1986. / It was described by

Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, ...

and

Aimé Bonpland Aimé Jacques Alexandre Bonpland (; 22 August 1773 – 11 May 1858) was a French explorer and botanist who traveled with Alexander von Humboldt in Latin America from 1799 to 1804. He co-authored volumes of the scientific results of their ex ...

in 1808.

Description

''Theobroma bicolor'' can reach a height of 3–8 metres in open fields, although in the understories of forests it can grow to 25–30 metres. It is a slow-growing tree and grows best in loose, unconsolidated soils. It is adapted to survive

flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...

at a minimal level, but can sometimes last in deeper floods.Theobroma bicolor (Macambo)
at www.rainforestconservation.org. In the central Amazon region, the tree produces fruit from March to November, and flowers from July to September. Similar to its close relative, the cacao tree, the mocambo tree's seeds are edible, high in calories, and rich in protein and fiber. The seeds are also high in

Omega 9 Omega-9 fatty acids (ω−9 fatty acids or ''n''−9 fatty acids) are a family of unsaturated fatty acids which have in common a final carbon–carbon double bond in the omega−9 position; that is, the ninth bond from the methyl end of the fa ...

and contain

caffeine Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine class. It is mainly used recreationally as a cognitive enhancer, increasing alertness and attentional performance. Caffeine acts by blocking binding of adenosine to ...

Cultivation and use

''Theobroma bicolor'' was historically cultivated by the

Aztec The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...

s alongside ''T. cacao'' for production of chocolate, although when chocolate was introduced to the

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex history, including a number of different languages, both in ...

, they considered the product of ''T. bicolor'' to be of a lower quality. Its seeds can also be eaten fried or in soups, and the seed pods when emptied are used as

planters Planters Nut & Chocolate Company is an American snack food company now owned by Hormel Foods. Planters is best known for its processed nuts and for the Mr. Peanut icon that symbolizes them. Mr. Peanut was created by grade schooler Antonio Gentil ...

and containers. The pulp which surrounds the seeds can be eaten fresh, and has a sweet, mild taste. When the fruit is ripe, it naturally detaches from the tree branches and falls to the ground; the general method of harvesting is collecting the fallen fruit. Mayas placed a high value on the buttery foam crowning beverages of cacao and maize, according to descriptions from the time of the ''

Conquista Spain began colonizing the Americas under the Crown of Castile and was spearheaded by the Spanish . The Americas were invaded and incorporated into the Spanish Empire, with the exception of Brazil, British America, and some small regions of ...

'', and it appears that a thick, stable foam can be produced using fruits of ''T. bicolor'' as source of cacao, but not with ''T. cacao'' fruits.Judith Strupp Green. 2010. Feasting with Foam: Ceremonial Drinks of Cacao, Maize, and Pataxte Cacao. Pre-Columbian Foodways 2010, pp 315-343.

Pests

Moniliophthora perniciosa ''Moniliophthora perniciosa'' (previously ''Crinipellis perniciosa'') is a fungus that causes " witches' broom disease" (WBD) of the cocoa tree ''T. cacao''. This pathogen is currently limited to South America, Panama and the Caribbean, and is p ...

'', a

fungus A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from t ...

which causes "

witch's broom Witch's broom or witches' broom is a deformity in a woody plant, typically a tree, where the natural structure of the plant is changed. A dense mass of shoots grows from a single point, with the resulting structure resembling a broom or a ...

disease" on ''T. cacao'', was reported on a Brazilian specimen of ''T. bicolor'' in 1999.''Theobroma bicolor host of Crinipellis perniciosa in Southern Bahia.'' Lopes, J. R. M.; Bezerra, J. L.; Luz, E. D. M. N. ''Agrotrópica'', 1999 Vol. 11 No. 2 pp. 97-100.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q893238 Chocolate drinks bicolor Trees of Central America Trees of South America Trees of Brazil Trees of Colombia Trees of Ecuador Trees of Peru Taxa named by Aimé Bonpland