Theobroma angustifolium Dc.

Tree 8-26 m. high; trunk up to 30 cm. in diam., with smooth bark and whitish wood; growth above jorquette; primary branches ternate; lower branches horizontal, the higher ascending; branchlets green-ochraceous, tomentose with very minute, fine, translucid-white and other mediocre, fulvous or ochraceous, thicker, stellate hairs, when older grayish, more or less glabrate and rugulose; stipules lanceolate-subulate, stellate-tomentose, deciduous. Leaves distichous, the petioles moderately thick, 6-10 mm. long, tomentose; blade subobovate-oblong, elliptic-oblong or ob-lanceolate, slightly narrowed to the obtuse and slightly asymmetrical base, atten- uate and acuminate at apex, entire or at the upper part slightly sinuate-dentate, 9-25 cm. long and 3-9 cm. broad, chartaceous, rather flexible, the acumen 1-2 cm. long; upper surface smooth, glabrous or with few hairs scattered on the depressed, filiform costa, the other nerves less conspicuous; lower surface greenish or cinereous, appressed-tomentose with minute, white, stellate hairs, the main nerves with larger, ochraceous, stellate hairs, these with long, spreading rays, the costa very prominent, the 6-8 secondary nerves on each side prominent, ascending. Inflorescences axillary or extra-axillary, usually abundant on the branchlets, the cymes reduced to few 1-to 3-flowered branchlets; peduncles 0.4-1 mm. long, 3-bracteolate; bracteoles, linear, very minute, deciduous; pedicels 5-10 mm. long, densely ochraceous or fer-ruginous, ebracteate; buds globose, densely ochraceous-tomentose. Flowers with a calyx 8-9 mm. long, reflexed at anthesis, the sepals ovate, rather obtuse, 4-5 mm. wide, united to 3-4 mm. into a cupular base, in the upper part united by pairs forming 3 unequal lobes, tomentose and greenish-ochraceous or ferruginous out-side, scarsely puberulous and with minute, oblong, glandular hairs at the base inside; petal-hoods broadly obovate, rounded-cucullate at apex, about 5 mm. long and 4 mm. broad, yellowish, 7-nerved and with very sparse, thin hairs outside; petal-laminae stipitate, the stipe linear and about 4-5 mm. long, subobovate-spatu-late, attenuate toward the base, emarginate at apex with 2 ovate or rounded lobes, about 5.5 mm. long and 3 mm. broad, thick-membranous, yellow, glabrous; stain-inodes laminar, oblong-obovate, rounded or subspatulate at apex, 8-11 mm. long and 4.2-5 mm. broad, 1.2 mm. broad at base, thick-membranous, sulphur yellow. glabrous, with marked venation; filaments 2 mm. long, glabrous, 3-antheriferous; ovary densely stellate-tomentose; styles united into a rigid, erect column ending in 5 slender branches. Fruit unequally oblong-ellipsoid or ovoid-ellipsoid, more or less pentagonal, umbilicate and 5-costate at base, slightly attenuate at apex, 10-18 cm. long and 6-9 cm. broad, brown-tomentose, very irregularly tuberculate-rugose, the epicarp ligneous and about 1.5 mm. thick; pulp thick, juicy, aromatic, edible; seeds compressed-oblong-ovoid, 26-32 x 16-19 x 14-16 mm.; germination hypogeous, the cotyledons white.

A tropical plant. It grows in the rainforest. It grows in areas with a temperature range 20-30°C. It suits areas with a rainfall 200-800 cm per year.

The seeds are collected and included with commercial cacao. The pulp is eaten or used for drinks.

Plants can be grown from fresh seeds.