''Pachira aquatica'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of tropical wetland tree in the mallow family

Malvaceae Malvaceae (), or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include Theobroma cacao, cacao, Cola (plant), cola, cotton, okra, Hibiscus sabdariffa, ...

, native to Central and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

where it grows in swamps. It is known by its common names Malabar chestnut, French peanut, Guiana chestnut, provision tree, Saba nut, Monguba (

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

), Pumpo (

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

) and Jelinjoche (

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

) and is commercially sold under the names money tree and money plant. This tree is sometimes sold with a braided trunk and is commonly grown as a

houseplant A houseplant, also known as a pot plant, potted plant, or indoor plant, is an ornamental plant cultivated indoors. for aesthetic or practical purposes. These plants are commonly found in House, homes, Office, offices, and various indoor spaces, w ...

, although more commonly what is sold as a "Pachira aquatica" houseplant is in fact a similar species, '' P. glabra''.

Description

''Pachira aquatica'' can grow up to tall with a diameter of at breast height. It has shiny green

palmate The following terms are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflets ...

leaves with

lanceolate The following terms are used to describe leaf plant morphology, morphology in the description and taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade ...

leaflets up to in length, and smooth green bark. This species forms a slightly thickened root with smaller roots, which also serves as a water

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

. The relatively smooth bark is brown through gray and slightly cracked; young branches are green. Outdoors, ''P. aquatica'' produces a broad crown. The transitional and long- stalked, composite hand-shaped, slightly leathery leaves are arranged at the branch ends. The petiole is up to long. The leaves are bright green and shiny and consist of up to nine leaflets (fingers). The mostly glabrous, short-stalked leaflets are up through 28 cm long and rounded through round pointed, spiked, or pointed. They are

or obovate, with a light middle veins. There are sloping

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole (botany), petiole). They are primarily found among dicots and rare among monocots. Stipules are considered part ...

s present. The leaves and flowers are also often eaten. Its showy flowers, said to have the fragrance of lilacs, have long, narrow

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s up to long, that open like a banana peel to reveal hairlike yellowish orange

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s. The greenish-yellow or cream-colored, hermaphroditic and very large, short and thick-stalked flowers with double

perianth The perianth (perigonium, perigon or perigone in monocots) is the non-reproductive part of the flower. It is a structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx (sepals) and the corolla (petals) or tepal ...

resemble shaving brushes through the long

stamens The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filamen ...

. The terminal, single, twofold, or threefold flowers suggest that

bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

s are the

pollinator A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female carpel, stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are ...

s. The outside fine-haired, green-brown and overgrown calyx is cup-shaped and about 2 cm long. The narrow, elongated petals can reach up to 30 cm long. The approximately 180–250 stamens, deep pink at the top and yellow at the base, with elongated anthers are overgrown and tufted above. The five-chambered

ovaries The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are endocr ...

uppermost with a long stylus with divided, short lobed scar. The capsules are large, brown, woody, up to 20–30 cm long, rough, and egg-shaped, with a diameter of about 10–15 cm, weigh about 1–1.5 kg, and contain 10–25 nuts.

Etymology

The genus name is derived from a language spoken in

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

.Helmut Genaust (1983): Etymologisches Wörterbuch der botanischen Pflanzennamen, 2. Auflage. Birkhäuser Verlag – The species name is

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for "aquatic". It is classified in the subfamily Bombacoideae of the family

. Previously it was assigned to Bombacaceae. The name "money tree" is believed to refer to a story of its origin, in which a poor man prayed for money, found this "odd" plant, took it home as an omen, and made money selling plants grown from its seeds.

Cultivation

Most trees cultivated as ornamental houseplants that are identified as ''Pachira aquatica'' are actually the related '' Pachira glabra''. While both ''P. aquatica'' and ''P. glabra'' have such ornamental uses, the often-braided houseplant known as a "money tree" originally exported from Taiwan is ''P. glabra''. The association with ''P. aquatica'' derives from an early misidentification in Taiwan. As plant author Wang Jui-min explains that "for a long time, his plantwas mistakenly believed to be the ''Pachira aquatica'' widely distributed in Central and South America...Later it was discovered that the filaments of the Malabar chestnut are red and the fruit is covered with reddish-brown hairs, which is significantly different from the smooth chestnut commonly cultivated in Taiwan." He notes that "all species cultivated in Taiwan are ''Pachira glabra''". The tree grows well as a tropical ornamental in moist, frost-free areas, and can be started from seed or

cutting Cutting is the separation or opening of a physical object, into two or more portions, through the application of an acutely directed force. Implements commonly used for wikt:cut, cutting are the knife and saw, or in medicine and science the sca ...

. It is a durable plant and adapts well to different conditions. The plant requires bright light, but not direct sunlight. When grown indoors it requires a very gradual introduction to direct sunlight outdoors to reduce the chances of sunburning its leaves. This tree thrives in both common potting soil and water in a hydroponic system. The plant grows well in bright light, but also tolerates partial shade at room temperatures from 12 °C through 25 °C. A plant's leaves may turn yellow and fall when days are shorter in autumn which is not a sign of disease, and the plant will restart its growth without problem the following spring. A tree is mature when 4–5 years old. It produces its first fruit in spring and fall. Furthermore, it can withstand temperatures as low as 5 °C without losing its leaves, although people recommended not growing it below 12 °C as an orangery tree, the ideal culture temperature being about 20 °C all year round with high humidity. An occasional weak frost can cause it to lose its leaves, and it grows new leaves in the following spring. This species is occasionally cultivated for its nuts, which grow in a large, woody capsule. The nuts are light brown, striped with white, about 2–3 cm long, and embedded in a spongy and fibrous

pericarp Fruits are the mature ovary or ovaries of one or more flowers. They are found in three main anatomical categories: aggregate fruits, multiple fruits, and simple fruits. Fruitlike structures may develop directly from the seed itself rather th ...

. The capsule is not eaten. The nuts develop within until the capsule bursts and releases them. The nuts are considered edible, with a flavor similar to a European chestnut. Some people grind the nuts and use them in a hot drink. They are toxic to rats in the raw state, but are consumed by people raw or roasted.

Potential health risks

The presence of cyclopropenoid

fatty acid In chemistry, in particular in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated and unsaturated compounds#Organic chemistry, saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an ...

s (CPFAs) in the nuts has been used to state that the nuts are not edible and not suitable for human consumption, despite the nut being eaten or used in medicine. At least one review indicates that CPFAs are

carcinogen A carcinogen () is any agent that promotes the development of cancer. Carcinogens can include synthetic chemicals, naturally occurring substances, physical agents such as ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and biologic agents such as viruse ...

ic, co-carcinogenic, and have medical and other effects on animals; according to this review, "CPFA in food is dangerous to human health." Out of six rats tested in a study of ''P. aquatica'', five died after consuming the nuts. The surviving rat had enlarged organs including the stomach, liver, pancreas, kidneys, lungs and also had spleen atrophy. Research on the health effects of eating the nuts on humans is lacking, but there are some studies regarding nutritional facts and food utilization.

In culture

The specimens in cultivation sold as ''Pachira aquatica'' are actually a similar species, '' P. glabra'', which develops a thick base at a younger age and has a smaller growth habit, less showy white rather than red flowers, and a green seed capsule rather than a brown seed capsule.Odilo Duarte and Robert E. Paull. "Pachira aquatica/Malabar chestnut Pachira insignis/wild chestnut." ''The Encyclopedia of Fruit and Nuts.'' Jules Janick and Robert E. Paull, eds. CABI, 2008
p. 183.

Gallery

File:Flickr - archer10 (Dennis) - Guatemala-1376.jpg, Flower File:Pachira aquatica 18zz.jpg, bark File:Pachira aquatica 37zz.jpg, foliage File:Ceibo - Castaño (Pachira acuatica) - Flickr - Alejandro Bayer.jpg, fruit

References

External links

Class effort gives Taiwan world leadership in 'money tree' exports.
''Taiwan Headlines'' reprint from '' United Daily News''. 9 February 2006. Accessed 10 February 2007.
"Fancy take on money trees puts Taiwan on the map."
''Taiwan Headlines'' reprint from '' Liberty Times''. 23 March 2006. Accessed 10 February 2007.
"Malabar Chestnut"
at California Rare Fruit Growers Fruit Facts
"''Pachira aquatica''"
at FloriData
Composition and nutritional properties