Theobroma subincanum Mart.
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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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Type
Types.—Amazonas, Brazil, Martius. French Guiana, Aublet (of Cacao sylvestris). Peru, Ruíz & Pavón (of T. ferruginea).
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Description
Description - Medium-sized tree commonly 6-12 m. tall, at times up to 20 m. high, the trunk 15-20 (-30) cm. in diameter, with gray, almost smooth bark, older bark rugose-rimose, reddish within, the wood whitish, darker toward the center; growth pseudoapical; primary branches ternate, grayish, spreading; juvenile branchlets covered by a dense ferruginous tomentum of stellate hairs, when older glabrescent, pale brownish or brown, somewhat rugose, rimose-reticulate; stipules narrowly linear, densely ferruginous-tomentose, 5-7 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, soon deciduous. Leaves firmly coriaceous, rather thick and large; petiole robust, subterete, densely and appressed ferruginous-tomentose, 8-15 mm. long; lamina elliptic-oblong or subobovate-elliptic-oblong, very little attenuate to the base, slightly unequal, rounded or very obtuse, emarginate or rarely cordate at base, somewhat narrowed or rounded and abruptly acuminate at apex, sometimes blunt, entire, or near the apex dentate-sinuate, 16-40 cm. long, 5-20 cm. broad, the acumen acute, 1-3 cm. long, when very young ferruginous-tomentose throughout, but soon glabrescent above, when adult glabrous above, green, somewhat brownish olivaceous when dry, the costa and the lateral nerves depressed, filiform, the lesser veins obsolete, cinereous beneath, the veins more or less tawny or ferruginous, the costa thick, very prominent, the 9 or 10 pairs of secondary nerves very prominent, subascending, thinner near the margin, decurrent, the superior arched, anastomosing, the basal pair often straighter and forming a more acute angle, the transverse tertiary nerves prominent, the minor ones and small veins prominulous, minutely reticulate, the midrib, major nerves, and reticulum more or less densely covered by mediocre, reddish or tawny stellate hairs, the areoles between the veins with a dense whitish indument of very small, delicate, intricate, stellate hairs. Inflorescence small, few-flowered, axillary or extra-axillary on leafy branches; cymes with 3-9 fasciculate branchlets, usually 1-3-flowered; peduncles 2-8 mm. long, with 3 bracteoles at apex, the bracteoles subulate, about 3 mm. long, deciduous; pedicels 3-6 mm. long, thicker than the peduncle; buds ovoid-globose; sepals thick, carnose, ovate, acute or subacute, densely stellate-tomentose outside, ferruginous, the margin minutely whitish tomentose, shining inside, purplish or red, subglabrous with minute, crowded, oblong-capitate, glandular hairs at base, near the margin slightly pubescent, 8-9 mm. long, 3-4 mm. broad, united at base for 2 mm., subpatulous. Petal-hoods thick-membranaceous, pale yellow and red striate, obovate, rounded-cucullate at apex, slightly emarginate, 7-nerved, inside minutely hirtulous, glabrous outside except for the puberulous margin, 3-3.5 mm. long, 2-2.4 mm. broad; petal-lamina pedicellate, carnose, thick, rigid, red, suborbicular, 2-2.5 mm. long, 2.2-4 mm. broad, with slightly retuse apex, slightly pilose at margin, the hairs very slender, flexuous; pedicel 2 mm. long, compressed, pilose. Androecium tube 1.5-1.7 mm. long, glabrous; staminodes laminar, red, lanceolate-oblong, acute or subacute, with marked midrib, subglabrous with sparse flexuous hairs at margin, 6-7.5 mm. long, 2 mm. broad; filaments rather thick, glabrous, about 1.5 mm. long, arched, very shortly 3-furcate, 3-antheriferous, the anther cells ellipsoid, about 0.5 mm. long; ovary ovoid-oblong, 1.3 mm. long, glabrous, with very sparse, minute, granulate dots; styles 1.5 mm. long, connivent. Fruit ellipsoid, light green, tawny or orange at maturity, smooth, oblong-ellipsoid or obovate-ellipsoid, rounded at apex, often more or less narrowed at base, 7.5-11.5 cm. long, 5-6.6 cm. broad; pericarp coriaceous, rigid, hard, 3-4 mm. thick, the woody epicarp 1-2 mm. thick, covered by a brown, thin, appressed, stellate-tomentose indument; seeds ellipsoid-oblong or ovate-ellipsoid, 1.8-2.3 cm. long, 12-16 mm. broad, 8-11 mm. thick, the surrounding pulp rather slightly sweet, scentless, white, becoming yellowish; cotyledons white; fruiting peduncle 1-1.5 cm. long, 0.5-1.0 cm. thick; germination hypogeous.
Common Names - The commonest names in Brazilian Amazonia are cupuí and cupuaí. Other names or other ways of spelling and pronouncing the former are: copuí, copuaí, cupuhy, cupuahy, cupuy do Igapó, cupuarana, cupú do matta, cupú-assuy, cupú-assúrana. In Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru this species is usually called cacao de monte or cacao silvestre, and also cacao rana (Orinoco valley), yurac-cacao (Yurimaguas), uchpa-cacao, cacao-ceniza (Peru), cacao bianco (Peru, Ruíz & Pavón). Indian names recorded are: abekará (Makuna, Vaupés, García Barriga), padama (Arekuna, Venezuela, cumalá (Peru). The Anglo-Colombian Cocoa Expedition (Baker, 1952) recorded the following indigenous names: Win-cheék (Puinave), Inírida-Guaviare; bawk (Maku), Piraparaná-Taraira; poo-hoo (Barasana), Upper Piraparaná; a-ba-ka-ra (Makuna), Lower Piraparaná; Popeyaca; mah-we-re (Makuna), Miritiparaná; no-tórree-ka (Tanimuka), Guacaya; too-soo (Yauna), Lower Piraparaná; ma-oo-hee-reé (Kabuyarí), Canarari; wa-kó (Kubeo), Cuduyarí; wah-pek-la (Tukano), Papuri; a-sö-ya-ee (Piratapuya) , Papurí; wa-be-ga-ra (Desano), Papurí; wa-be-ka-ra (Siriano), Paca; ma-wé- roo-da (Kuripaka), Guainía.
Uses - Although this species gives an acceptable chocolate it is practically never used by the natives. The slightly sweet and scentless pulp is occasionally eaten or sucked; it is very much sought by animals, especially monkeys.