When the showy flowers open in spring, the petals peel back to expose a long, silky tassel of stamen. They are a bit like opening a banana to find a fibre optic lamp inside. A fruit develops from this over the summer and falls from the tree when ripe during January and February. The fruit is a hard capsule up to 20cm long, packed tight with large seeds.

Pachira aquatica has red stamens and a brown fruit while Pachira glabra has creamy stamens and green fruit.

The seed or nuts are ripest when fruit pods split open on the ground. They are 12-20mm long and are edible. If eaten raw, they have the taste of raw peanuts. If boiled or roasted the flavour is more like roast chestnuts, from which they get their common name. Young leaves and flowers can also be cooked and eaten.

Propagation is most commonly by seed. The seeds need to be planted soon after ripening and be kept constantly wet. If rainfall is steady when the fruit ripen and drop, a large number of plants will germinate at the base of the parent tree. While this is a beautiful tree, it could create an environmental weed issue. Plant in a cultivated part of your garden, well away from native bushland, to avoid future problems. It can also be cultivated by cuttings and air- layering.

While it thrives in wet conditions and prefers the sub tropical climate, the Malabar Chestnut can survive periods of dry as it stores water in its trunk and root system. It can also handle temperatures down to -1°C for a brief period, though these conditions and light frosts will cause the plant to loose its leaves.
The tree also needs protection from hot dry wind. Give it a spot among other trees or sheltered from the afternoon summer sun and you will have a healthy specimen in your garden

Pachira also make excellent potted plants. If provided with plenty of water and the root systems are restricted, the trunk will swell to resemble a mini version of its relative the Bottle Tree (Adansonia spp).
A popular practice in parts of Asia and North America since the mid 1980’s is to plant several seeds in one pot, then braid the trunks as they grow.

This tree is suited to the gardener who wants something a bit different in their yard. The beauty of its flower and form is enough of a reward, without considering its nut bounty.