Theobroma 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 the Greek words θεός ("theos"), meaning "god," and βρῶμα ("broma"), meaning "food". It translates to "food of the gods." "Theobroma cacao", the best known species of the genus, is used for making chocolate. Several species of "Theobroma" produce edible seeds, notably cacao, cupuaçu, and mocambo. Cacao is commercially valued as the source of
Dresden Botanical Garden unusual "Quercus phellos" as well as "Corydalis nobilis", "Hamamelis", rhododendrons, magnolias, and so forth; a systematic section; an alpine garden collecting a variety of European high mountain plants, including gentian ("Gentiana"), species of saxifrage ("Saxifraga"), "Dianthus caryophyllus", numerous cruciferous plants and primroses; and a garden that contains poisonous, curative, and medicinal plants. The garden also contains five greenhouses of about 1,000 m² total area, containing some 3,000 species, as well as an aquatic greenhouse for "Victoria cruziana" and plants from tropical America including "Ananas comosus", "Tillandsia usneoides", "Theobroma cacao", epiphytic bromeliads, etc. The Great Tropical House (Paläotropis) contains tropical flora