a. [ NL. Sterculia, the typical genus, fr. L. Sterculius the deity that presided over manuring, from stercus dung. So called because one of the original species is fetid. ] (Bot.) Of or pertaining to a natural order (Sterculiaceae) of polypetalous exogenous plants, mostly tropical. The cacao (Theobroma Cacao) is the most useful plant of the order. [ 1913 Webster ]