CHAPTEE IV 



THE BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COCOA PLANT 



THE plant which produces the commercial cocoa, 

 and which has received from Linnaeus the name of 

 T/ieobroma cacao, L., belongs to the family of STERCU- 



LIACEAE. 



This family of plants is recognised by the following 

 characteristics : the five sepals are not separate but 

 grown together at their base ; also the stamina are 

 grown together at their base, to a short tube ; the outer 

 circle stands opposite the petals, and of this circle of 

 five stamina, each stamen is often doubled or tripled ; 

 the anthers are turned to the outside ; the inner circle 

 of stamina stands opposite the sepals, these stamina, 

 however, being so-called staminodes, which means that 

 they do not bear anthers and do not produce pollen ; 

 the leaves are simple (not composed) and bear stipules 

 which soon fall off. 



The family of STERCULIACEAE is closely related to 

 the family of MALVACEAE, to which belongs the common 

 mallow, which has the stamina grown together to a 

 tube, and to the family of TILIACEAE, to which belongs 

 the common linden tree. Besides the cocoa (Theobroma 

 cacao) it contains several other species of T/ieobroma, 

 and the kola tree (Cola acuminata). 



The genus Theobroma is characterised by the peculiar 

 shape of the petals, which are concave or cup-shaped 

 at the base, narrowing to the top, and sometimes 

 enlarged at the end as a spoon or spatule (see Fig. 14). 



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