Fruit of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao).
cacao , Tropical New World tree (Theobroma cacao) of the mallow family (Malvaceae). Cultivated on small farms throughout South and Central America, Asia, and Africa, cacao seeds yield cocoa and chocolate, after fermentation and roasting, as well as cocoa butter. The tree grows in wet lowland tropics, often in the shade of taller trees, and its thick trunk supports a canopy of large leathery oblong leaves. The small flowers, which can be foul-smelling and vary in colour with the variety, are borne directly on the branches and trunk. They are followed by the fruit, or pods, each yielding 20–60 seeds, or cocoa beans.