38 



N. Ord. STERCULIACE^I. Lo Maout & Dec., p. 283. 



Tribe Byttneriacea. Lindl., Veg. K., p. 363 (N. Ord.) ; Baill., Hist. 

 PL iv, p. 75. 



Genus Theobroma, Linn* B. & H., Gen., i, p. 225 ; Baill., 1. c., 

 p. 77; Bernoulli in Nouv. Mem. de la Soc. Helvet. des 

 So. Nat., vol. xxiv (1871). Species about 8, natives of 

 tropical America. 



38. Theobroma Cacao Linn., Sp. PL ed. 1, p. 782 (1753). 

 Cacao. Cocoa or Chocolate' Tree. 



Syn. Cacao sativa, Lam. C. Theobroma, Tussac. C. minus, Gaertn. 



Figures. Nees, t. 419 ; Tussac, PI. Antilles, i, t. 13, cop. in Hayne, ix, t. 

 35; Berg & Sch., t. 33 e & f; Sloane, Hist. Jamaica, t. 160; Ber- 

 noulli, 1. c., t. 1 & 2. 



Description. A tree of no great size, with round branches covered 

 with a smooth greyish bark. Leaves alternate, stalked, 8 or 9 

 inches long by 2J wide or even larger, ovate-lanceolate or ovate- 

 oblong, acute, rounded at the base, entire, veins prominent beneath ; 

 petiole 1 inch long, thickened at both ends ; stipules caulinary, sub- 

 ulate-linear, acutely serrate, young leaves pink. Flowers on delicate, 

 pubescent, articulated, often branched stalks, in clusters from the 

 old wood of the branches and trunk, occupying the position of 

 former leaf-axils. Calyx very deeply 5 -cleft, divisions ovate- 

 acuminate, pale red, membranous, woolly on the edge. Petals 5, 

 alternating with the calyx- segments, the lower half erect, hood- 

 shaped, pale-pink, marked on the inside with two crimson prominent 

 nerves, the upper half spreading, spathulate, on a filiform stalk, 

 lemon-yellow. Androecium forming at its base a hypogynous tube 

 surrounding the ovary, and consisting of 5 stamens opposite the 

 petals, which are bent outwards and received into the cucullate bases 

 of the latter, and, alternating with these, 5 elongated linear processes 

 (staminodes), which stand erect, and are of a brilliant crimson; fila- 

 ments short, anthers small, green, extrorse, each consisting of 4 cells 

 arranged crosswise (2 anthers combined ?). Ovary small, sessile, pen- 



* Name from QIOQ, a god, and /3/jw/ia, food. 



