Theobroma cocoa and chocolate. "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. 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 South America. The generic name is derived from
Chocolate was gradually transported by humans throughout South and Central America. Early forms of another genotype have also been found in what is now Venezuela. The scientific name, "Theobroma", means "food of the gods". The fruit, called a cacao pod, is ovoid, long and wide, ripening yellow to orange, and weighing about when ripe. Cacao trees are small, understory trees that need rich, well-drained soils. They naturally grow within 20° of either side of the equator because they need about 2000 mm of rainfall a year, and temperatures in the range of . Cacao trees cannot tolerate a temperature lower than