Theobroma cacao L., 1753

Jarvis, Charlie, 2007, Chapter 7: Linnaean Plant Names and their Types (part T), Order out of Chaos. Linnaean Plant Types and their Types, London: Linnaean Society of London in association with the Natural History Museum, pp. 878-905 : 885

Theobroma cacao Linnaeus , Species Plantarum 2: 782. 1753.

"Habitat in America meridionali, Antillis." RCN: 5722.

Lectotype (Dorr in Jarvis & al., Regnum Veg. 127: 93. 1993): [icon] “Cacao” in Sloane, Voy. Jamaica 2: 15, t. 160. 1725. - Typotype: Herb. Sloane 5: 59 ( BM-SL) .

Generitype of Theobroma Linnaeus (vide Green, Prop. Brit. Bot.: 177. 1929).

Current name: Theobroma cacao L. ( Sterculiaceae ).

Note: Cuatracasas (in Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 35: 385, 496, 508, 513. 1964) designated the flowers and leaves in Herb. Sloane 5: 59 ( BMSL) as lectotype, with a Tournefort illustration (not cited in Linnaeus’ protologue) as a “Fruit-lectotype”. As Linnaeus would not have seen the flowers themselves, they cannot be original material for the name. However, Dorr has formally designated Sloane’s illustration as lectotype, with Sloane’s material (the basis for the illustration) as typotype.