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
Arturo Gómez-Pompa y realidades. Bol. Soc. Bot. Mexico. 63: 33-41. Whikus, R., M. de la Cruz, L. Mota-Bravo, A. Gomez-Pompa. 1998. Genetic diversity and relationships of wild cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) in southern Mexico. Theoret. And Appl. Genet. 96: 621-627. Arturo Gómez-Pompa Arturo Gómez-Pompa (born 1934 in Mexico City) is a well-known tropical biologist who is currently a scientific advisor for the Tropical Research Center of the Universidad Veracruzana (CITRO) and a distinguished professor emeritus of botany at the University of California, Riverside. He made various notable contributions to the field of tropical ecology over the years through the creation of databases