Editing Theobroma grandiflorum

{| class="wikitable" style="float: right; width: 320px; margin-left: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 1em;"
! colspan="2" style="background: #e8e8e8;" | Cupuassu (''Theobroma grandiflorum'')
|-
! Scientific name
| ''[[Theobroma grandiflorum]]'' <sup id="cite_ref-1">[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup>
|-
! Common name
| Cupuassu; Cupuacu
|-
! Family
| [[Malvaceae]] <sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup>
|-
! Genus
| ''[[Theobroma]]''
|-
! Order
| [[Malvales]] <sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup>
|-
! Habit
| Evergreen rainforest fruit tree <sup id="cite_ref-2">[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup>
|-
! Fruit
| Brown, oblong fruit with aromatic succulent pulp <sup id="cite_ref-3">[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup>
|}

'''Theobroma grandiflorum''', commonly called cupuassu or cupuacu, is an evergreen tropical fruit tree of the rainforest. It is cultivated for its aromatic pulp and for seed products related to cocoa processing.<sup>[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup>

== Description ==

Cupuassu is usually described as an evergreen tree about 6–10 m tall. The fruit is brown, oblong, about 12–25 cm long and 10–12 cm in diameter in the practical species account, with aromatic succulent pulp.<sup>[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup> The accepted name used here is ''Theobroma grandiflorum'' in the family Malvaceae.<sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup>

== Cultivation ==

=== Soil and water ===

Cupuassu is a rainforest tree suited to moist, well-drained soil. Keep the root zone evenly supplied with moisture while providing drainage that prevents stagnant wetness; the species accounts pair moist soil with good drainage and a rainforest setting.<sup>[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup> The very high rainfall associated with its cultivation range makes consistent moisture more appropriate than repeated dry-downs.

=== Sun and humidity ===

The species accounts place cupuassu in shade or semi-shade. A warm, humid site with filtered light follows that guidance better than an exposed, drying position.<sup>[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup> One account gives preferred daytime temperatures of 20–30 °C and a broader 16–40 °C range; those figures are a broad cultivation account rather than a guarantee of performance at every temperature extreme.<sup>[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup>

=== Seasonal changes ===

Cupuassu is associated with tropical rainforest conditions and rainfall of about 2,000–8,000 mm that is described as evenly distributed.<sup>[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup> In cultivation, maintain moisture through warm active growth and adjust watering to cooler, slower conditions without allowing the root zone to dry sharply. This seasonal adjustment is a genus-and-habitat-based cultivation inference, not a fixed species irrigation calendar.<sup>[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup>

== Propagation ==

Fresh cupuassu seed has short viability, has no stated dormancy requirement, and may begin germinating inside the fruit; sow it promptly after removal from the pod.<sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup> The practical propagation account gives about 20–40 days for sprouting and roughly 5–6 months before planting out. Treat those as guide values for fresh seed and local conditions rather than a guaranteed schedule.<sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup>

== Flowering, fruiting, and harvest ==

Cupuassu is predominantly outcrossing. In a reported manual-pollination experiment, natural pollination was estimated at 1.6% for pistils receiving more than 60 pollen grains; compatible controlled pollinations with 60 grains had a 20% fruit-set probability, while flowers receiving more than 400 grains always set fruit in that experiment. Manual pollination was performed near anthesis and again the following morning, and increased mature fruit harvested under the examined conditions.<sup id="cite_ref-4">[[#cite_note-4|[4]]]</sup>

A separate two-season study of a cupuassu germplasm collection in Pará described low and irregular production, variation among trees, and much more frequent fruit set after hand pollination than after open pollination.<sup id="cite_ref-5">[[#cite_note-5|[5]]]</sup> The pollination and yield figures are study-specific; they support attention to compatible pollen transfer rather than a universal fruit-set schedule.

== Fruit and uses ==

The brown fruit contains aromatic, succulent pulp used in drinks and desserts.<sup>[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup> The seeds are processed into cocoa-like products. A food-science study comparing raw seeds, fermented beans, and fermented-and-roasted beans found that fermentation and roasting changed protein profiles and slightly reduced measured total protein and amino-acid contents; those results describe processing changes, not a cultivation, toxicity, or medicinal claim.<sup id="cite_ref-6">[[#cite_note-6|[6]]]</sup>

== References ==

* <span id="cite_note-1"></span>[[#cite_ref-1|↑]] '''[1]''' [https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/match?name=Theobroma%20grandiflorum GBIF species match: ''Theobroma grandiflorum''].

* <span id="cite_note-2"></span>[[#cite_ref-2|↑]] '''[2]''' [https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Theobroma+grandiflorum ''Theobroma grandiflorum'' | Useful Tropical Plants].

* <span id="cite_note-3"></span>[[#cite_ref-3|↑]] '''[3]''' [https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Theobroma+grandiflorum ''Theobroma grandiflorum'' Cupuassu, Cupuacu | Plants For A Future].

* <span id="cite_note-4"></span>[[#cite_ref-4|↑]] '''[4]''' [https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-43921995253192 A polinização manual do cupuaçuzeiro (''Theobroma grandiflorum'')].

* <span id="cite_note-5"></span>[[#cite_ref-5|↑]] '''[5]''' [https://doi.org/10.1590/S0044-59672011000100017 Flowering levels, harvest season and yields of cupuassu (''Theobroma grandiflorum'')].

* <span id="cite_note-6"></span>[[#cite_ref-6|↑]] '''[6]''' [https://doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612008000400035 Proteins of cupuacu seeds (''Theobroma grandiflorum'') and changes during fermentation and roasting].

[[Category:Theobroma]]