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
Madeira-Tapajós moist forests excelsa" and "Duckeodendron cestroides". At one time the endemic tree "Polygonanthus amazonicus" grew near Maués, the western limit for the emergent "Dinizia excelsa" and the eastern limit for the "Theobroma cacao". The Tapajós basin is the eastern limit of "Theobroma microcarpum". The "Physocalymma scaberrima" has red hardwood used by furniture makers. The montane forests of the upper Marmelos and middle Tapajós hold "Hevea camporum", "Euterpe longibracteata", "Huberodendron ingens" and "Brachynema ramiflorum". Further south in Mato Grosso there are forests in the transition between the Amazon and cerrado biomes. 183 species of mammals have been reported, including 90 bat species and