History of chocolate in Spain In modern Spain, traces of the history of the drink can be seen in the chocolate companies, the chocolate shops and museums. The [Mesoamerican] origin of the cacao tree (to which Linnaeus gave the scientific name Theobroma cacao in 1753) is disputed by modern botanical historians since there are different hypotheses about the region from which it comes. Thus, some theories point to the Amazon region; however, it is estimated that the plant also grew in the wild in other parts of Americas, including the plains of the Orinoco Basin. It is very likely that the Olmecs knew the cacao
Orto Botanico di Parma umbellatus", "Caltha palustris", "Cyperus papyrus", "Eichhornia crassipes", "Elodea canadensis", "Iris pseudacorus", "Lemna minor", "Nymphaea alba", "Pistia stratiotes", and "Sagittaria sagittaefolia", as well as mature trees including ginkgo, magnolia, "Pinus nigra subsp. laricio", and "Ulmus campestris". Its glass houses contain a tropical section with "Dracaena fragrans", "Ficus elastica", "F. benjamina", "Monstera deliciosa", "Tamarindus indica", "Theobroma cacao", etc., as well as epiphytes, orchids, and tropical fruits; and a desert house containing a variety of cacti and succulents. Orto Botanico di Parma The Orto Botanico di Parma, also known as the Orto Botanico dell'Università di Parma, is a botanical garden maintained by the