Trees or shrubs, with stellate hairs. Leaves alternate, simple, dentate, serrate, often oblique. Inflorescence an axillary-pedunculate cyme. Flowers white, pink or yellow, bisexual, actinomorphic, bracteate. Calyx 2-5-lobed or partite, lobes reflexed. Petals 5, cucullate, apex with a long, deeply bifid liguliform appendage, valvate. Stamens 15, monadelphous, staminal column split above into triangular or lanceolate staminodes and 5 lobes, each with 3 functional anthers, antipetalous. Carpels 5, syncarpous; ovary ellipsoid-globose, 5-loculed, ovules biseriate; style filiform. Fruit a woody capsule, muricate, bristly or with filiform appendages. Seeds small, endospermic.

A small genus of 4 species, chiefly distributed in tropical America; introduced in cultvation in other parts of the world.

Lower Taxon

• Guazuma ulmifolia Lam.

Related Synonym(s):

• Guazuma tomentosa H.B. & K. = Guazuma ulmifolia Lam.
• Theobroma guazuma Linn. = Guazuma ulmifolia Lam.