Pachira insignis (PROSEA)

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Plant Resources of South-East Asia
Introduction
List of species


Pachira insignis (Swartz) Savigny


Family: Bombacaceae

Synonyms

Bombax insigne (Swartz) K. Schumann, B. spectabile Ulbr., Carolinea insignis Swartz.

Vernacular names

  • Wild chestnut, wild cocoa (En). Maronnier (Fr).

Distribution

Originating from the basin of the river Amazon in South America, but also cultivated pantropically and sometimes naturalized elsewhere in South America.

Uses

The oil-rich seeds are eaten or roasted and used like cocoa. Most uses are similar to those of P. aquatica Aubl.

Observations

Evergreen tree, up to 30 m tall with trunk up to 60 cm in diameter and greenish bark. Leaves arranged spirally, digitately compound with 5-9 leaflets, often clustered towards the ends of twigs; petiole 9-31 cm long, thickened at both ends; petiolule 0-1 cm long; leaflet blade obovate to elliptical-oblong, 6-34 cm × 3-14 cm, base decurrent, apex rounded to acuminate, with 10-20 prominent lateral veins at underside. Flowers solitary or 2 together, 18-35 cm long; pedicel 1-7 cm long; calyx cupuliform, 1.5-2.5 cm long, truncate or with 5 obscure lobes; petals oblong, 17-34 cm × 1-3 cm, reddish, pubescent; stamens 450-700, up to 30 cm long, variously united in clusters and those at base united in a staminal tube up to 15 cm long, purplish in basal part, white in upper part, anthers 0.5 cm long; pistil with subglobose, 5-angled ovary 1 cm in diameter, style 16-33 cm long, stigma with 5 short lobes. Fruit a subglobose to ellipsoidal capsule, 14-36 cm long, 8-13 cm in diameter, brown pubescent, opening with 5 valves. Seeds usually with 4 flat sides, about 2 cm × 3 cm × 2 cm, brownish. P. insignis generally grows at freshwater sites that often are inundated periodically. The seed is used like those of P. aquatica . In certain areas hybrids between the 2 species exist. Flowering and fruiting is year-round. The potential of P. insignis in South-East Asia is the same as that of P. aquatica .

Selected sources

19, 102.