Money tree
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Forgiving Among the more tolerant plants here.
Also called French peanut, Guiana chestnut, Malabar chestnut, Mexican fortune tree, Money Plant, provision tree and water chestnut.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Full shade, Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1B — 10–15°C 10–15 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Listed as non-toxicASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Listed as non-toxicASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
How it usually goes wrong
- Edges of the leaves brown while the middle stays sound
The money tree browns at the very tips first, and the brown line creeps back along the edges over weeks. The tissue is dry and brittle, not soft.
Penn State Extension cites ASHRAE's recommended indoor range of 30% to 60% relative humidity; a heated room in winter drops below it. Air that dry pulls water from the leaf faster than the roots replace it, and the margins are furthest from the supply.
Telling it apart: Whether the soil is dry too. Crisp edges with damp soil point at the air; with dry soil, at the watering.
Penn State ExtensionDiagnose brown tips and edges on this Money tree- New leaves arrive smaller and paler than the ones below
Growth on the side of the money tree away from the light slows or stops, so the plant becomes lopsided over a few months.
Light is the budget every other process is paid from. Under the full shade, partial shade its source names, the plant spends down reserves and shows it in thin, pale growth.
Telling it apart: Spacing. A plant short of light stretches; one short of nitrogen keeps its spacing and only loses colour.
RHSMoney tree leaves turning yellow: causes- Yellow, limp leaves at the base
Colour goes before shape on a money tree. The leaves deepest inside the canopy yellow evenly, stay soft to the touch, and the compost two inches down is still wet from the last watering.
Soil described as moist but well-drained is a drainage instruction as much as a watering one. Compost that stays saturated suffocates the fine roots that do the drinking.
Telling it apart: The soil, not the leaf. Wet compost under yellowing leaves points one way and dry compost the other, and the leaves alone will not tell you which.
RHSMoney tree leaves turning yellow: causes
Not sure which it is? Ask the diagnosis questions for Money tree.
Routine care
- Watering
- It does not tolerate standing water, which can cause root rot. Possible diseases are anthracnose, powdery mildew, and root rot caused by standing water.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Propagate from softwood cuttings, by layering or from seed.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Increase from seed, by air layering, or from semi-ripe cuttings.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- In spring, shorten shoots where needed to keep size in check.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Aphids, glasshouse red spider mite and scale insects can attack it. Disease risk: a leaf spot.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Pachira aquatica is a species of tropical wetland tree in the mallow family Malvaceae, native to Central and South America where it grows in swamps. It is known by its common names Malabar chestnut, French peanut, Guiana chestnut, provision tree, Saba nut, Monguba (Brazil), Pumpo (Guatemala) and Jelinjoche and is commercially sold under the names money tree and money plant. This tree is sometimes sold with a braided trunk and is commonly grown as a houseplant, although more commonly what is sold as a "Pachira aquatica" houseplant is in fact a similar species, Pachira glabra.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- Mexico to S. Trop. AmericaWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Mexico to South Tropical AmericaNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- Perennial, Tree; habit erect, rounded, spreadingNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Columnar upright, Spreading branched (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 72–360 in; width 72–360 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 1-1.5 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 5–10 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers cream/tan, gold/yellow, green, white; blooms in springNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers cream in summer; red in summer; gold in summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Uses
What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.
In Feng Shui the tree is kept to bring a home good luck, good energy and good fortune. Malabar chestnut is a cooking ingredient, though sources disagree on whether the seeds may be toxic. Its flowers and young leaves are cooked as a vegetable. Medicinally, products of the tree have been used for hepatitis, headaches, anemia, high blood pressure and digestive problems. It has also been made into soap, paper, insecticides and fiber for caulking boats. People eat the seeds or nuts raw, roasted or fried; raw they are said to taste like peanuts and roasted like chestnuts. Ground seeds can be made into flour. Some sources say the seeds contain cyclopropenoid fatty acids and may be toxic, so look into it further before eating the seeds or nuts.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Common problems with Money tree
More of the Malvaceae family
Plants with similar care
Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.