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Theobroma is a genus of in the Malva family, Malvaceae. It was previously classified as a member of Sterculiaceae, which has been incorporated into Malvaceae to make it monophyletic. It contains roughly 20 species of small understory native to the of Central America and South America.
The seeds of the cacao tree ( Theobroma cacao), the best known species of the genus, are used for making chocolate. Cupuaçu ( Theobroma grandiflorum), mocambo ( Theobroma bicolor) and capacui ( Theobroma speciosum) are also of economic importance.
/ref> The lectotype Theobroma cacao was designated in 1929.
| Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panamá |
| Panama. |
| Brazil North, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela |
| Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela |
| Brazil |
| Colombia |
| Colombia, Ecuador |
| Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru |
| Bolivia, Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela |
| Colombia, Panamá |
| Costa Rica, Nicaragua |
| Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela |
| Colombia |
| Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela |
| Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panamá |
| Brazil, Peru |
| Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela |
| Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela |
| Brazil. |
| Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname |
Theobroma species are used as food plants by the of some of the genus Endoclita, including E. chalybeatus, Endoclita damor, Endoclita 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.
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