Species · genus Pachira · Malvaceae

Guiana Chestnut

Pachira aquatica Aubl.

Also known as: Malabar Chestnut · French Peanut · Money Tree · Provision Tree · Saba Nut

Growth habit

tree

Native range

Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Nicaragua, Panamá, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela

Reference · P. aquatica

Cultivars of P. aquatica

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under P. aquatica yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Pachira aquatica is a tropical tree from wetland and riverbank habitats across Central and South America, where its swollen trunk base stores water. Indoors it wants warmth and bright indirect light, not harsh direct sun. Despite its riverside origins it rots if left sitting wet in a pot, so water only when the top inch or two of mix has dried, then water thoroughly and let excess drain.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 14 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

16–27 °C

Soil mix

Rich, well-draining potting mix with sand or perlite

Propagation

Stem cuttings or seed

Fertilizing

Balanced liquid feed monthly in spring and summer

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Rarely flowers indoors

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Guiana Chestnut yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.