Pachira aquatica seeds: braided money tree, money plant

[PalmatierMeg]

Our Pachira aquatica tree, i.e., Malabar Chestnut, flowers and produces large pods of seeds/nuts almost year round. The species is a tropical tree native to Central and South America where it grows near swamps and wetlands. This tree is also called Money Tree or Money Plant, is frequently bonsai-ed or its juvenile stems braided as an expression of feng shui.  For those purposes, the seeds are highly desired but are usually only available from Thailand or China, from which they are very expensive, of dubious quality and subject to seizure by US Customs. The nuts produced in fleece-lined shells can be eaten raw or roasted although I haven't tried them. Seeds germinate readily if given warmth and moisture and seedlings grow quite fast. My prolific tree is now a source of these seeds within the US.

Please see info. below:

Pachira aquatica (Malabar Chestnut) seeds: 50 @ $15.00 per lot

Shipping= $5.00 in padded envelope                        No shipping overseas. No shipping to HI

Total = $20.00

Payment via Paypal

Please PM me if you are interested.

Photos

Seeds

Mother Tree

Volunteer Seedling

[Jeff Searle]

That small tree in your pic is producing the seeds? I have 2 real large ones in the yard. I just don't remember mine seeding so small.

[PalmatierMeg]

13 hours ago, Jeff Searle said:

That small tree in your pic is producing the seeds? I have 2 real large ones in the yard. I just don't remember mine seeding so small.

It's been seeding since 2017.

[@NetoPalms]

16 hours ago, Jeff Searle said:

That small tree in your pic is producing the seeds? I have 2 real large ones in the yard. I just don't remember mine seeding so small.

Not all plants are the same apparently!

[Missi]

On 2/24/2019 at 8:29 PM, Jeff Searle said:

That small tree in your pic is producing the seeds? I have 2 real large ones in the yard. I just don't remember mine seeding so small.

I have a smaller one that produces seeds.

[Loxahatchee Adam]

For reference, your tree is a Pachira glabra, not Pachira aquatica.

[Missi]

11 hours ago, Loxahatchee Adam said:

For reference, your tree is a Pachira glabra, not Pachira aquatica.

How can you tell the difference?

 

NM, found this PT post: Different Pachira species - identification

[PalmatierMeg]

Thanks, Adam.

[zoli]

@Missi here's what Wikipedia says:

However, much of what is in cultivation sold as Pachira aquatica is, in actuality, a similar species, P. glabra, which develops a thick base at a younger age and has a smaller growth habit, less showy flowers, and a 6" green seed pod rather than 12" brown seed pod.

[Loxahatchee Adam]

The striped seeds are indicative of P. glabra.  P. aquatica seeds are larger and no stripes- they also tend to have a thinner, more paper-like coat that can be peeled off by hand.  

P. glabra has smaller green seed pods; P. aquatica has much larger seed pods that usually turn brown on the tree.

P. glabra gets a bulbous base that has a tendency to sucker.  P. aquatica will push out pneumatophores from the lower trunk (and sometimes upper branches) under wet conditions.  These eventually will turn into buttresses.

P. glabra has nicely scented flowers with white stamens that usually zig zag.  P. aquatica flowers are roughly 2x as large and have stamens that are white at the best and the top 1/3 red...much showier.

P. glabra leaves tend to be more rigid and grow in a flat plane while P. aquatica are softer and usually droop more...but leaves have the most variation of the IDing aspects.

There are different branching angles and patterns that sort of just make it so you can tell when you see them over time also.

I have never seen an actual Pachira aquatica sold as a "Money Tree" or "Braided Money Tree" ever.  It has always been Pachira glabra, regardless of what the label says.

[Missi]

Interesting! I'm going to have to pay closer attention when mine goes to flower/seed again!!

[Jeff Searle]

Mine would be P. aquatica then. Very large seed pods that are brown when dropped.

[renatas]

Hi,

do you still sell seeds?

 

[PalmatierMeg]

My tree was wrecked by Hurricane Ian - no seeds for foreseeable future.