Pachira glabra
Pachira glabra is a tropical wetland tree in the mallow family, Malvaceae, native to eastern Brazil, where it grows along waterways. It is generally known by the nonscientific names Guinea peanut, French peanut, Saba nut, money tree, and lucky tree. It shares many of these common names with the similar P. aquatica.
Description
Pachira glabra reaches heights of, and its leaves are compound with a fan of 5 to 9 leaflets. It has smooth greenish-gray bark and the trunks are often swollen at the base, even at a young age. Its large, white, fragrant flowers bloom on a long, terminal peduncle, opening at night and dropping by the middle of the following day. Its smooth green fruit split open naturally to reveal 10 to 25 irregularly rounded brown seeds that are roughly in diameter.Similar species
Pachira aquatica is quite similar looking, has similar culinary and ornamental uses, and goes by many of the same common names. P. aquatica has woody gray bark, while P. glabrass is a smoother greenish-gray, and P. aquatica will only develop a swollen trunk with age. Likewise, the flowers of P. aquatica feature red-tipped petals and red anthers, whereas the flowers of P. glabra are all white. In addition, the P. aquatica blooms last marginally longer than those of P. glabra. P. glabra capsules are green rather than brown like those of P. aquatica. Seed yields of P. glabra are also lower than those of P. aquatica.Distribution and habitat
The species is native to eastern Brazil, where it grows along rivers and other waterways.The tree is highly adaptable to various soils and flourishes in full sun or partial shade. The tree is both drought and flood resistant.