Malvaceae is an angiosperm taxonomic family, commonly called the mallow family. Its accepted members include the genera Gossypium and Theobroma, connecting cotton plants with the cacao plant Theobroma cacao in one family-level classification. A taxonomic family is a grouping of related organisms, not a category defined by one harvested product.[ref]
Malvaceae in Plants of the World Online. Accepted family and genera; Kew classification of Theobroma cacao
[ref]Gossypium in Plants of the World Online. Accepted genus and Malvaceae placement
The hierarchy supplies a useful worked classification. Starting with Theobroma cacao, its taxonomic genus is Theobroma and its taxonomic family is Malvaceae. A Gossypium species belongs to another taxonomic genus within that same taxonomic family. Sharing a family therefore does not imply sharing a genus or being interchangeable as an experimental organism.[ref]
Cotton and cacao also illustrate why familiar uses are poor diagnostic rules. Selecting plants because they yield a particular useful material can mix different levels of classification. To establish Malvaceae membership, identify the organism and consult its taxonomic placement; do not infer membership from a product name alone. Conversely, using a different part of a plant does not by itself place it in a different taxonomic family.
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