Monographs Details:
Authority:
Cuatrecasas, José. 1964. Cacao and its allies, a taxonomic revision of the genus Theobroma. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 35: 379-614. pl. 1-12.
Cuatrecasas, José. 1964. Cacao and its allies, a taxonomic revision of the genus Theobroma. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 35: 379-614. pl. 1-12.
Family:
Malvaceae
Malvaceae
Description:
Description - Medium to large tree up to 20 m. tall, with erect, thick trunk up to 60 cm. in diameter at the triangular base; growth pseudoapical; bark more or less rugose; branches spreading, the primary ternate, the upper ones ascending; young branchlets thick-tomentose, greenish ferruginous or brownish, covered by three kinds of hairs: 1) abundant minute squamose stellate hairs with thin rays, 2) mediocre stellate, longer hairs and 3) scattered large stellate or furcate hairs with very long white rays, when older glabrate, brownish or grayish; stipules persistent, longer than the petioles, subcoriaceous, firm, erect, lanceo late or linear, acute, 15-24 mm. long, 3-6 mm. broad, tomentose outside. Leaves large, rigid, coriaceous; petiole robust, thick, somewhat striate, thick-tomentose-ferruginous, 5-12 mm. long, 6-10 mm. thick; blades obovate-oblong, rounded or very obtuse and abruptly cuspidate at apex, broad or slightly narrowed, rounded or slightly cordate and asymmetrical at base, entire or sinuate-dentate in the upper third, in very young plants obovate-rhomboid, long-acuminate, the upper half or third repand, acutely dentate, the adult 20-10 cm. long, 8-17 cm. broad, the acumen 0-1 cm. long, green above, when dry pale brown, smooth, glabrous or with scattered stellate hairs on the midrib, this and the secondary nerves filiform and depressed, the other veins
Uses - The seeds are said to give a cacao of good quality. They are occasionally used.
Description - Medium to large tree up to 20 m. tall, with erect, thick trunk up to 60 cm. in diameter at the triangular base; growth pseudoapical; bark more or less rugose; branches spreading, the primary ternate, the upper ones ascending; young branchlets thick-tomentose, greenish ferruginous or brownish, covered by three kinds of hairs: 1) abundant minute squamose stellate hairs with thin rays, 2) mediocre stellate, longer hairs and 3) scattered large stellate or furcate hairs with very long white rays, when older glabrate, brownish or grayish; stipules persistent, longer than the petioles, subcoriaceous, firm, erect, lanceo late or linear, acute, 15-24 mm. long, 3-6 mm. broad, tomentose outside. Leaves large, rigid, coriaceous; petiole robust, thick, somewhat striate, thick-tomentose-ferruginous, 5-12 mm. long, 6-10 mm. thick; blades obovate-oblong, rounded or very obtuse and abruptly cuspidate at apex, broad or slightly narrowed, rounded or slightly cordate and asymmetrical at base, entire or sinuate-dentate in the upper third, in very young plants obovate-rhomboid, long-acuminate, the upper half or third repand, acutely dentate, the adult 20-10 cm. long, 8-17 cm. broad, the acumen 0-1 cm. long, green above, when dry pale brown, smooth, glabrous or with scattered stellate hairs on the midrib, this and the secondary nerves filiform and depressed, the other veins
Uses - The seeds are said to give a cacao of good quality. They are occasionally used.
Discussion:
In its natural habitat T. simiarum attains a considerable height and thickness. The trunk is erect and branchless up to several meters. The inflorescences may appear on the trunk but they are more abundant on the big branches. The fruit is very characteristic because of its terete, sausage shape. From the closely related Colombian species T. stipulatum and T. chocoense it can be distinguished by the elongate shape of the pod; in the two other species the fruit is ovoid or broadly ellipsoid. From T. stipulatum it differs also by its red flowers, longer lanceolate stipules, longer bracteoles, and by the indument of the leaves. From T. chocoense it differs also by its narrower and longer stipules, the obovate form of the leaves, by the leaves having beneath usually three kinds of hairs, and by its longer bracteoles.
In its natural habitat T. simiarum attains a considerable height and thickness. The trunk is erect and branchless up to several meters. The inflorescences may appear on the trunk but they are more abundant on the big branches. The fruit is very characteristic because of its terete, sausage shape. From the closely related Colombian species T. stipulatum and T. chocoense it can be distinguished by the elongate shape of the pod; in the two other species the fruit is ovoid or broadly ellipsoid. From T. stipulatum it differs also by its red flowers, longer lanceolate stipules, longer bracteoles, and by the indument of the leaves. From T. chocoense it differs also by its narrower and longer stipules, the obovate form of the leaves, by the leaves having beneath usually three kinds of hairs, and by its longer bracteoles.
Common Names:
cacao de mico, cacao de mono, teta negra, kraaku, nunísup, uirub, dzug-mang-uá, ku-gín, bik, uir-ub
cacao de mico, cacao de mono, teta negra, kraaku, nunísup, uirub, dzug-mang-uá, ku-gín, bik, uir-ub