Theobroma

For the city in Brazil, see Theobroma, Rondônia.

Theobroma is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It was previously classified as a member of Sterculiaceae, which has been incorporated into Malvaceae to make it monophyletic. It contains roughly 20 species of small understory trees native to the tropical forests of Central and South America.^[3]

Theobroma
Theobroma cacao pod, from which cocoa beans are harvested
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Malvaceae
Subfamily:	Byttnerioideae
Tribe:	Theobromateae
Genus:	Theobroma L.[1]
Type species
Theobroma cacao L.[2]
Species
See text
Synonyms
Cacao Mill. Tribroma O.F.Cook[1]

The seeds of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao), the best known species of the genus, are used for making chocolate. Cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum), mocambo (Theobroma bicolor) and capacui (Theobroma speciosum) are also of economic importance.

Taxonomy

It was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.^[2][4] The lectotype Theobroma cacao L. was designated in 1929.^[2]

Etymology

The generic name is derived from the Greek words θεός theos meaning "god"^[5] and βρῶμα broma meaning "food"^[6] translating to "food of the gods".^[7]

Species

Species of the genus according to Plants of the World Online As of February 2023^[update]:^[8]

Image	Scientific name	Distribution
	Theobroma angustifolium DC.	Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panamá
	Theobroma bernoullii Pittier	Panama.
	Theobroma bicolor Bonpl. – mocambo	Brazil North, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela
	Theobroma cacao L. – cacao	Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela
	Theobroma canumanense Pires & Fróes ex Cuatrec.	Brazil
	Theobroma cirmolinae Cuatrec.	Colombia
	Theobroma gileri Cuatrec.	Colombia, Ecuador
	Theobroma glaucum H.Karst.	Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
	Theobroma grandiflorum (Willd. ex Spreng.) K.Schum. – cupuaçu	Bolivia, Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela
	Theobroma hylaeum Cuatrec.	Colombia, Panamá
	Theobroma mammosum Cuatrec. & J.León	Costa Rica, Nicaragua
	Theobroma microcarpum Mart.	Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
	Theobroma nemorale Cuatrec.	Colombia
	Theobroma obovatum Klotzsch ex Bernoulli	Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela
	Theobroma simiarum Donn.Sm.	Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panamá
	Theobroma sinuosum Pav. ex Huber	Brazil, Peru
	Theobroma speciosum Willd. ex Spreng. – cacaui	Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela
	Theobroma subincanum Mart.	Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
	Theobroma sylvestre Aubl. ex Mart.	Brazil.
	Theobroma velutinum Benoist	Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname

Formerly placed here

• Abroma augustum (L.) L.f. (as T. augustum L.)
• Guazuma ulmifolia Lam. (as T. guazuma L.)
• Herrania albiflora Goudot (as T. albiflorum (Goudot) De Wild.)
• Herrania mariae (Mart.) Decne. ex Goudot (as T. mariae (Mart.) K. Schum.)
• Herrania purpurea (Pittier) R. E. Schult. (as T. purpureum Pittier)^[9]

From left to right: T. grandiflorum, T. bicolor, T. speciosum, T. cacao

Uses

Several species of Theobroma produce edible seeds, notably cacao, cupuaçu, and mocambo. Cacao is commercially valued as the source of cocoa and chocolate.^[10]

Theobroma species are used as food plants by the larvae of some moths of the genus 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, is named for the genus.