Theobromine Theobromine Theobromine, formerly known as xantheose, is a bitter alkaloid of the cacao plant, with the chemical formula CHNO. It is found in chocolate, as well as in a number of other foods, including the leaves of the tea plant, and the kola nut. It is classified as a xanthine alkaloid, others of which include theophylline and caffeine. The compounds differ in that caffeine has an extra methyl group (see under Pharmacology section). Despite its name, the compound contains no bromine—"theobromine" is derived from "Theobroma", the name of the genus of the cacao tree (which itself is made up of
North-West University Botanical Garden rockery. Some more common plant genera represented in the garden include Acacia, Aloe, Bonatea, Crinum, Dierama, Encephalartos, Eucomis, Eulophia, Euphorbia, Gasteria, Gladiolus, Haworthia, Hypoxis, Indigofera, Kniphofia, Plectranthus, Podocarpus, Polygala, Scadoxus, Searsia, Stapelia and Zantedeschia. In the tropical greenhouse a variety of tropical and subtropical plants from all over the world can be found. Some of the plants include a variety of food and medicinal plants including "Coffea arabica" (coffee), "Camellia sinensis" (tea), "Vanilla planifolia" (vanilla), "Saccharum officinarum" (sugarcane), "Cinnamomum zeylanicum" (cinnamon), "Oryza sativa" (rice), "Theobroma cacao" (cacao), "Siphonochilus aethiopicus" (wild ginger), "Warburghia salutaris" (pepper bark tree) and "Piper nigrum" (pepper).