Medicinal
Guiana Chestnut
Pachira aquatica Aubl.
Southern Mexico to Bolivia
Fun factThe 'money tree' name comes from a folk tale about a poor man who grew wealthy selling the tree's nuts; the braided-stem houseplant form originated in Taiwan in the 1980s as a way of 'locking in' luck.
A tree of wet lowland forest and riverbanks, growing to about 20 m in the wild, with glossy palmate leaves of five to nine leaflets. It bears large solitary flowers with cream petals and a brush of 200–250 red-tipped stamens that open for a single night, followed by big woody capsules holding edible seeds. Small braided specimens are sold worldwide as the 'money tree' houseplant.
Sourced · see Record tab
2on the estate
0carrying a tag
0sponsored
FamilyMalvaceae
Spanish nameCastaño de agua
Also known asMalabar chestnut, Money tree, Water chestnut, French peanut, Castaño de agua
Native toSouthern Mexico through Central America to Bolivia and northern Brazil, in freshwater swamps, estuaries, riverbanks and rainforest
| Tag | Garden area | Zone | Planted | Status | Sponsored | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Ravine Entrance | — | 5 July 2019 | Planted | — | |
| — | Muruga Circle Exit | — | 5 July 2019 | Planted | — |
2 of these have no tag yet; they will be numbered when the garden team re-tags the estate.