# Pachira aquatica
**Pachira aquatica** Aubl. is a tropical wetland tree in the mallow family ([Malvaceae](https://www.edgepedia.org/malvaceae), subfamily Bombacoideae), the type species of the genus *Pachira*, and the plant sold worldwide as the braided "money tree" houseplant. It was described by the French botanist Jean Baptiste Christophe Fusée Aublet in *Histoire des Plantes de la Guiane Françoise* in 1775[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/179762-2). Common names include Guiana-chestnut, provision tree, Malabar chestnut, French peanut, water chestnut, zapotón and apompo[2](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_kingdom=every&search_span=exactly_for&search_topic=Scientific_Name&search_value=Pachira+aquatica) • [3](https://costaricatreeatlas.org/en/trees/pochote-de-agua).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | *Pachira aquatica* Aubl., Hist. Pl. Guiane 2: 726 (1775); type species of *Pachira*[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/179762-2) • [4](https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.70060) |
| Family | Malvaceae, subfamily Bombacoideae[5](https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=26272) |
| Native range | Southern Mexico to southern tropical America, including Central America, northern South America, and much of Brazil; a tree of the wet tropical biome[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/179762-2) • [5](https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=26272) |
| Habitat | Freshwater swamps, estuaries, and riverbanks of tropical rainforests[6](https://apps.cals.arizona.edu/arboretum/taxon.aspx?id=1222) |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2018); wide distribution, large population, no major threats identified[7](https://doi.org/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T146783390A146783392.en) |
| Uses | Edible seeds, ornamental tree and houseplant, medicine, fiber, yellow dye, and soft timber[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/179762-2) • [5](https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=26272) |
| Houseplant trade | Sold as the "money tree" or "money plant," usually with a braided trunk; plants in the nursery trade are often the close relative *P. glabra*[8](https://www.nybg.org/planttalk/the-key-to-good-fortune-with-your-money-tree/) • [9](https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/PCJAQ) |
## Taxonomy
Aublet named both the genus and the species in 1775 from [French Guiana](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-guiana); the genus name comes from an Indigenous Guyanese word said to mean "sweet water nut," for the tree's fruits, and the epithet *aquatica* refers to its growth near or in water[4](https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.70060) • [6](https://apps.cals.arizona.edu/arboretum/taxon.aspx?id=1222). The name has accumulated about 15 synonyms, including *Bombax aquaticum*, *Carolinea macrocarpa*, and *Pachira macrocarpa*[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/179762-2).
*Pachira aquatica* is the type of its genus, which matters for nomenclature: in a 2025 phylogenetic study of the *Pachira* sensu lato clade, Vania Nobuko Yoshikawa of the Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes and colleagues combined the traditionally separate genera *Pachira* and *Eriotheca* into a broadly conceived *Pachira* of 72 species, because neither genus was monophyletic. The Extra-Amazonian group could not keep the name *Pachira* precisely because *P. aquatica* belongs to the Amazonian clade, now *Pachira* subg. *Pachira*[4](https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.70060). Six further species, from [Central America](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-america), the Caribbean, and the west side of the Andes, remain uncertainly placed[4](https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.70060).
One variety has been raised to species rank: *Pachira manausensis*, formerly *P. aquatica* var. *manausensis*, was separated in 2022 after field and herbarium work showed many morphological and distribution differences from the typical variety[10](https://agris.fao.org/search/en/providers/122436/records/675abbb70ce2cede71cf50f9).
## Description
The genus *Pachira* is characterized by trees with unarmed trunks, large flowers 7 to 46 cm long, many stamens (115 to 500) grouped into phalanges, and numerous striate seeds[4](https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.70060). In *P. aquatica* the seeds are piriform to globose, 6 to 44 per fruit, with striate ornamentation darker than the seed[4](https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.70060). The wood is soft and lightweight, with a specific gravity of 0.30 to 0.40, pale cream to white, and not durable[3](https://costaricatreeatlas.org/en/trees/pochote-de-agua).
## Distribution and habitat
The species is native from southern Mexico through Central America to Bolivia and northern Brazil, occurring in freshwater swamps, estuaries, and along riverbanks[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/179762-2) • [6](https://apps.cals.arizona.edu/arboretum/taxon.aspx?id=1222). It has been introduced into parts of Africa, the Caribbean, and Pacific islands including the [Caroline Islands](https://www.edgepedia.org/caroline-islands) and Marianas[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/179762-2).
## Uses
**Food.** The seeds are edible and can be boiled, fried, roasted, and ground to make a chocolate-like beverage, and the leaves are also eaten[11](https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/3/0/3045). GRIN records the seeds and the vegetable use as human food[5](https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=26272).
**Ornamental and houseplant trade.** Globally, *Pachira aquatica* is among the most popular houseplants under the name "money tree," and in [Costa Rica](https://www.edgepedia.org/costa-rica) it is planted as a shade and ornamental tree along waterways[3](https://costaricatreeatlas.org/en/trees/pochote-de-agua). The braided-trunk form, made of multiple seedlings trained into a spiral, is a major export commodity from tropical nurseries[3](https://costaricatreeatlas.org/en/trees/pochote-de-agua). The [New York Botanical Garden](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-botanical-garden) notes that, according to rumor, a Taiwanese truck driver first braided and grew the money tree as a bonsai during the 1980s; the clusters of five leaflets are linked to five being a lucky number in [Chinese culture](https://www.edgepedia.org/chinese-culture) and to the five feng shui elements[8](https://www.nybg.org/planttalk/the-key-to-good-fortune-with-your-money-tree/). Plant-identification communities and the EPPO database note that what is sold as a *P. aquatica* houseplant is often the similar *Pachira glabra*[9](https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/PCJAQ).
**Timber, fiber, and medicine.** The wood is used for pulp for paper, boxes, handicrafts, and carpentry[11](https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/3/0/3045), and in rural areas for crates, lightweight boxes, traditional dugout canoes, and temporary construction[3](https://costaricatreeatlas.org/en/trees/pochote-de-agua). Fiber and a yellow dye are recorded economic uses[5](https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=26272). In traditional Central American medicine, bark tea is used as a febrifuge and for stomach complaints, and in Brazilian folk medicine the seeds and bark are used for hepatitis, diabetes, and kidney ailments; these uses have not been extensively validated by modern clinical research[3](https://costaricatreeatlas.org/en/trees/pochote-de-agua).
## Ecology and invasiveness
A survey of invasive alien ornamental plants in Brazil listed *P. aquatica* among species that spread beyond their native ecoregions within the country: native to the Amazon biome, it was recorded as invading the Caatinga, the Cerrado, the Serra do Mar coastal forests, and the Southern Atlantic mangroves[12](https://doi.org/10.1590/1677-941X-ABB-2023-0192). The IUCN assessment nevertheless found no major threats to the species across its wide native range[7](https://doi.org/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T146783390A146783392.en).
## References
1. [Pachira aquatica Aubl., Plants of the World Online, Kew Science](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/179762-2)
2. [ITIS Report: Pachira aquatica](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_kingdom=every&search_span=exactly_for&search_topic=Scientific_Name&search_value=Pachira+aquatica)
3. [Provision Tree, Costa Rica Tree Atlas](https://costaricatreeatlas.org/en/trees/pochote-de-agua)
4. [Yoshikawa et al. (2025). Phylogeny and historical biogeography of the Pachira sensu lato clade (Bombacoideae, Malvaceae) with a new infrageneric classification. TAXON 75(1): e70060.](https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.70060)
5. [Pachira aquatica Aubl., GRIN-Global, USDA ARS](https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=26272)
6. [Pachira aquatica, UA Campus Arboretum, University of Arizona](https://apps.cals.arizona.edu/arboretum/taxon.aspx?id=1222)
7. [Pachira aquatica, IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2018 assessment)](https://doi.org/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T146783390A146783392.en)
8. [The Key to Good Fortune with Your Money Tree, New York Botanical Garden](https://www.nybg.org/planttalk/the-key-to-good-fortune-with-your-money-tree/)
9. [Pachira aquatica (PCJAQ), EPPO Global Database](https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/PCJAQ)
10. [Yoshikawa, Duarte & Ferreira (2022). Typification of names in Pachira aquatica Aubl. (Malvaceae, Bombacoideae) with a new combination and new status from the Brazilian Amazon forest. Acta Botânica Brasílica 36.](https://agris.fao.org/search/en/providers/122436/records/675abbb70ce2cede71cf50f9)
11. [Pachira aquatica, NParks Flora & Fauna Web, Singapore](https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/3/0/3045)
12. [Silva, Martini & Amaral (2024). Invasive alien ornamental plants in Brazil: impact, origin, preferred habitats and projections. Acta Botanica Brasilica 38: e20230192.](https://doi.org/10.1590/1677-941X-ABB-2023-0192)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Plants and algae › Seed plants › Other flowering plants › Rosids › Malvales and Sapindales*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license