Malabar Chestnut

Did you know

• Widely sold as the 'money tree' with braided trunks, it became a Feng Shui symbol of wealth in the 1980s.
• The dramatic flowers have hundreds of long, thread-like stamens that unfurl like a fireworks explosion.
• The nuts inside the large pods are edible when roasted — they taste like peanuts or chestnuts.
• In Taiwan, a truck driver braided five seedlings together, creating the now-iconic money tree form.
• In the wild, it grows in wetlands and along riverbanks, despite being sold as a drought-tolerant houseplant.

Color meanings

Uses

• houseplant
• ornamental tree
• edible nuts
• Feng Shui symbol
• tropical landscaping