Theobroma bicolor Humb. & Bonpl.
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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.
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Family
Malvaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Description - Commonly a small tree 3-8 m. tall, attaining in high forest a height of 25-30 m., with rather narrow crown; sympodial growth by lateral, subterminal, upright shoots; trunk erect with light bark and white wood; primary branches ternate, dichotomous, spreading; young branchlets often horizontal or pendulous, more or less flexuous, subterete, densely and appressed cinereous tomentose with minute stellate hairs; older branches glabrate, smooth, gray; stipules oblong-lanceolate, 5-8 mm. long, 1.2-2 mm. broad, minutely appressed-tomentose, more or less persistent. Leaves subpalmatinerved, firmly chartaceous, green above and silvery greenish or silvery cinereous, sometimes pale ochraceous beneath; petiole rather thick, subterete, rigid, minutely appressed-tomentose, 12-25 mm. long, transversely rimose when old; blade oblong-ovate or elliptic-ovate, more or less deeply cordate or emarginate, asymmetrical at base, attenuate, abruptly acuminate at apex, entire or rarely sinuate at the upper margin, 12-34 cm. long, 6-18 cm. broad, the acumen triangular, 6-12 mm. long, glabrous above or with scattered stellate or furcate hairs, green or when dry, pale brownish, the main nerves noticeable, the lesser slightly conspicuous, cinereous beneath, covered with a dense layer of intricate, white, sericeous, stellate hairs, at base 5-7-nerved, the thicker costa and 2 or 3 main nerves on each side strongly prominent, the interior, basal nerves upright, ascending, the 1 or 2 exterior basal pairs arched, spreading, thinner, on the 2/3 upper part with about 4 secondary nerves each side, prominent, ascending, near the margin curved and vanishing, the tertiary transverse nerves prominent, the lesser prominulous veins minutely reticulate; leaves of young upright (orthotopic) shoots larger, symmetrical, long-petiolate, the blades broadly ovate, deeply cordate, more markedly palmatinerved, 30-50 cm. long, 21-36 cm. broad, the petiole 10-38 cm. long, thickened-pulvinate at both ends. Inflorescences axillary or extra-axillary on leafy, juvenile branchlets, usually 3-6 cm. broad, with very short axis and divaricate, dichasial and cincinnate branching; branchlets and pedicels angulate, densely ochraceous or cinereous tomentose; peduncles very short, supporting an articulate pedicel subtended by a bracteole; pedicels erect, tomentose, 3-6 mm. long; bracteoles lanceolate, subacute, rather thick, more or less curved, densely and minutely tomentose, 1.5-2.5 mm. long, 0.6-1 mm. broad; buds oblong-ovate, subacute, slightly 5-angulate, densely adpressed and minutely cinereous or ochraceous tomentose. Sepals lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, acute, shortly connate at base, spreading and more or less curved-inflexed, 5-6 mm. long, 2-2.5 mm. broad, 3-nerved and sparsely pilose inside, glandular at base, subappressed stellate-tomentose and reddish outside, the margin minutely whitish tomentellous. Petal-hoods 2-2.5 mm. long, 1-1.2 mm. broad, submembranaceous, whitish rosy, or reddish with darker midrib, oblong-obovate-elliptic, rounded-cucullate, emarginate, auriculate and incurved apex, glabrous with a thick trifurcate midrib inside, hirtellous-pubescent with a depressed tomentellous midrib outside; lamina rather carnose, red, brownish red or purplish, ovate, rounded at apex, abruptly contracted at base in short nail, articulate to the claw, hirtellous pubescent, 1-1.2 mm. long, 0.8-1 mm. broad, the nail 0.2-0.3 mm. long, erect in bud. Androecium tube 1.5-1.8 mm. long; staminodes 5 mm. long, brownish red, usually lighter red toward the base with whitish margin, carnose, linear-oblong, obtuse or subacute, slightly narrowed at base, copiously covered with minute, thickish, patulous hairs, erect in bud, 3.5-4.5 mm. long, 0.6-0.8 mm. wide; filaments compressed, curved, reflexed, glabrous, about 1-1.5 mm. long, shortly 2-furcate, 2-antheriferous; anther lobes ellipsoid, 0.2-0.3 mm. long; ovary obovate-oblong, sharply 5-costate, greenish white, velutinous-tomentose, 1.8-2 mm. long, 1-4 mm. broad; styles whitish, about 1.7 mm. long, united, rigid. Fruits subglobose-ellipsoid, oblong-ellipsoid, or ovoid-ellipsoid, 15-20 (10-25) cm. long, 9-12 (-15) cm. broad, green, when ripe yellow or brownish; pericarp hard, strongly 10-costate, the commissural ribs thick and elevated, the 5 alternate similar but diminishing in thickness towards the apex, the deep furrows reticulate (ligno-nerved), deeply lacunose; pericarp composed of three layers: 1) carnose endocarp about 2 mm. thick, 2) woody, very hard, ribbed and nerved mesocarp, 3-6 mm. thick, 3) firm, carnose becoming coriaceous epicarp 1-2 mm. thick with an outer, densely stellate-pilose epiderm, the whole pericarp about 7 mm. thick on the furrows and 14-15 mm. thick on the ribs; pulp surrounding seeds fibrose, yellowish, sweet, scenty; seeds arranged in 5 rows, complanate, ovoid-amygdaliform, 16-30 mm. long, 14-23 mm. wide, 8-13 mm. thick; embryo white; germination epigeous. Theobroma bicolor is unique in the genus, easy to recognize by its small, lax crown of few whorls of horizontal, dichotomous branches topping a naked stem, and by its leaves, fruits and flowers. The large papery, firm leaves are whitish silvery beneath and those of the upright shoots are larger, palmatinerved, cordate, and very long petiolate. The flowers are small and pale red generally. The large fruits are strongly ribbed and nerved, with a hard, woody, carved shell; they keep the green color until ripening, when they become yellow or brownish, falling from tree.
Common Names - The Anglo-Colombian Cocoa Expedition (Baker, 1953) recorded the following names: heé-a (Maku), (Piraparaná, Taraira); aõ (Makuna) (lower Piraparaná, Popeyacá); la-na-pee-tá-ma-ca-la-chu-na-ni (Yakuna) (Miritiparaná); há-ha (Tanimuka) (Guacayá); maraca bacao (Chocó).
Local Names and Uses - The Anglo-Colombian Cocoa Expedition (Baker, 1953) recorded the following names: heé-a (Maku), (Piraparaná, Taraira); aõ (Makuna) (lower Piraparaná, Popeyacá) ; la-na-pee-tá-ma-ca-la-chu-na-ni (Yakuna) (Miritiparaná) ; há-ha (Tanimuka) (Guacayá); maraca bacao (Chocó). ______________________ Uses.-The pulp is frequently eaten or used by natives to prepare refreshments although its flavor is not very attractive. The seeds are used in many places like those of cacao, giving a chocolate of inferior quality; it is also locally used to manufacture pastry and candy. The seeds of T. bicolor have been commercially mixed sometimes with those of cacao. They are poor in theobromine but they have a great proportion of a good quality cocoa butter. In Guatemala the seeds are known in commerce as "tiger" "wariba" or "patashte" cacao (Standley). According to Llano (1947), in Colombia this species has been tried for grafting but the bark heals with difficulty. The hard shells of the pod are used locally, as containers like those of mate or tutuma (Crescentia cujete). According to Tafalla it is called "cacao do Castilla" in the Ecuadorian region of Uchiza, nhero the shells of the pods are smoothed to be used as bowls.
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Common Names
patashte, patashte, patashtle, pataste, petaste, patatle, petaxte, patasht, pataste de sapo, pataste simarron, cacao malacayo, cacao bianco, patashte, pataxte, patasht, balamati, balam, pec, pataste, pataiste, skar-ub, uerba, scarbo, carvu, saparón, erefa, pataste, cu-lu-hu, bacao, cacao silvestre, cacao marraco, marraco, patas, Cacao Blanco, macambo, majambo, najambu, cacau do Peru (Belém), cupuassú, cupua-í, cacau bafú, cacao bravo