Pachira insignis (Sw.) Savigny

Wild chestnut (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Malvales > Malvaceae > Pachira

Characteristics

A tree. It grows to 15-30 m high. The leaf has 5-7 leaflets. These are arranged like fingers on a hand. The leaves are large and papery. The flowers are pinkish. The flowers can be 30 cm across. The fruit stalk is thick and 3 cm long. The fruit is a capsule which is oval or pear shaped. It is rusty velvet. It is 18-30 cm long by 12-20 cm wide.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 15.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Humid upland rainforests, mainly in dense primary forest or late-stage secondary formations in Brazil. Wet, lowland, tropical rainforests at elevations up to 500 metres.
More
A tropical plant. In Brisbane Botanical Gardens.
Light 4-9
Soil humidity 4-6
Soil texture 1-4
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 10-12

Usage

The young leaves and flowers are eaten. The kernels are eaten after roasting.
Uses food gene source material timber wood
Edible flowers leaves seeds
Therapeutic use Central nervous system diseases (whole plant excluding root)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seed.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) 30 - 35
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Pachira insignis unspecified picture

Distribution

Pachira insignis world distribution map, present in Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Guadeloupe, Grenada, French Guiana, Guyana, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Montserrat, Martinique, Peru, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), and Viet Nam

Conservation status

Pachira insignis threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:562668-1
WFO ID wfo-0000397363
COL ID 4BPDJ
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 630285
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Bombax insigne Pachira insignis Carolinea insignis Bombax spectabile Bombax spruceanum Pachira affinis Pachira spruceana Pachira loddigesii Bombax affine Carolinea affinis