Pachira aquatica

Taxonomy

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 05-Apr-2001

Place of publication: Hist. pl. Guiane 2:726, t. 291-292. 1775

Name verified on 08-Dec-1995 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 22-May-1997

Physical Description

Family Malvaceae:

Herbs, shrubs, or less often trees; indumentum usually with peltate scales or stellate hairs. Leaves alternate, stipulate, petiolate; leaf blade usually palmately veined, entire or various lobed. Flowers solitary, less often in small cymes or clusters, axillary or subterminal, often aggregated into terminal racemes or panicles, usually conspicuous, actinomorphic, usually bisexual (unisexual in Kydia) . Epicalyx often present, forming an involucre around calyx, 3- to many lobed. Sepals 5, valvate, free or connate. Petals 5, free, contorted, or imbricate, basally adnate to base of filament tube. Stamens usually very many, filaments connate into tube; anthers 1-celled. Pollen spiny. Ovary superior, with 2-25 carpels, often separating from one another and from axis; ovules 1 to many per locule; style as many or 2 × as many as pistils, apex branched or capitate. Fruit a loculicidal capsule or a schizocarp, separating into individual mericarps, rarely berrylike when mature (Malvaviscus) ; carpels sometimes with an endoglossum (a crosswise projection from back wall of carpel to make it almost completely septate. Seeds often reniform, glabrous or hairy, sometimes conspicuously so.

About 100 genera and ca. 1000 species: tropical and temperate regions of N and S Hemisphere; 19 genera (four introduced) and 81 species (24 endemic, 16 introduced) in China.

Molecular studies have shown that the members of the Bombacaceae, Malvaceae, Sterculiaceae, and Tiliaceae form a very well-defined monophyletic group that is divided into ten also rather well-defined clades, only two of which correspond to the traditional families Bombacaceae and Malvaceae. Some of the remaining groups are included entirely within either of the remaining families but others cut across the traditional divide between the Sterculiaceae and Tiliaceae. A majority of authors, most notably Bayer and Kubitzki (Fam. Gen. Vasc. Pl. 5: 225-311. 2003), has favored including everything within a greatly enlarged Malvaceae, and treating the individual clades as subfamilies. The alternative view is that the individual clades should be treated as a series of ten families: Bombacaceae (Bombacoideae), Brownlowiaceae (Brownlowioideae), Byttneriaceae (Byttnerioideae), Durionaceae (Durionoideae), Helicteraceae (Helicteroideae), Malvaceae (Malvoideae), Pentapetaceae (Dombeyoideae), Sparrmanniaceae (Grewioideae), Sterculiaceae (Sterculioideae), and Tiliaceae (Tilioideae) (Cheek in Heywood et al., Fl. Pl. Fam. World. 201-202. 2007) . For the present treatment, we prefer to retain the familiar, traditional four families, so as to maintain continuity with the treatments in FRPS, and to await a consensus on the two alternative strategies for dealing with the very widely accepted clades.

The traditional Malvaceae coincides exactly with one of the major clades. The only possible problem is the relationship with the Bombacaceae, which also has primarily 1-loculed anthers, and some authorities have suggested that the Bombacaceae should be included within the Malvaceae.

Members of the Malvaceae are important as fiber crops (particularly cotton, Gossypium) . Young leaves of many species can be used as vegetables, and species of Abelmoschus and Hibiscus are grown as minor food crops. Many species have attractive flowers and an ever-increasing selection is grown as ornamentals. Several have been cultivated for a very long time, particularly species of Hibiscus, and some of these are not known in the wild.^[1]

Genus Pachira:

Trees, sometimes deciduous, spiny and/or buttressed. Leaves palmately compound; leaflets 3-11, with basal joint, sometimes petiolulate, margin entire or serrate. Flowers bisexual, solitary or 2- or 3-fascicled, axillary, pedicellate; pedicel shorter than 10 cm; bracteoles 2 or 3. Calyx cup-shaped to tubular, adaxially glabrous, truncate to lobed, often with glands abaxially, persistent, sometimes accrescent. Petals spatulate to linear, yellowish green, white, or reddish, abaxially tomentose. Stamens 90-1000 in fascicles of 7-10, connate into tube at base; anthers reniform. Ovary 5-locular; ovules many; style exserted; stigma 5-lobed. Fruit nearly oblong or nearly pyriform, woody or leathery, loculicidally dehiscent into 5 valves, inner surface long woolly. Seeds irregularly scariform-cuneate, large, to 2.5 cm, glabrous, seed coat fragile, smooth.

About 50 species: tropical America; one species (introduced) in China.^[2]

Habit: Tropical evergreen tree with a single or braided trunk.

Flowers: Flower Color: near white, white

Seeds: Fruit: Fruit contains seeds that may be eaten raw or roasted.

Foliage: Oblong leaflets.

Images:

Distribution

Range and Population

Mexico to South America.

Growth

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Bright indirect light.

Moisture: Water Requirements: Keep moist.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 9b, 10a, 10b, 11. (map)

Similar Species

Members of the genus Pachira:

There are approximately 93 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus: P. acuatica · P. affinis · P. alba · P. amazonica · P. angusta · P. aquatica (Guiana Chestnut) · P. aquatica var. manausensis · P. aquatica var. occidentalis · P. aquatica var. surinamensis · P. aracamuniana · P. arenaria · P. aurea · P. barrigon · P. bracteolata · P. brevipes · P. calophylla · P. campestris · P. cardonae · P. commersonii · P. coriacea · P. cowanii · P. cubensis · P. cyathophora · P. decaphylla · P. dolichocalyx · P. duckei · P. dugandeana · P. elegans · P. emarginata · P. faroense · P. faroensis · P. fastuosa · P. fendleri · P. flaviflora · P. fuscolepidota · P. glabra · P. gracilis · P. gracilis bolivarensis · P. gracilis subsp. bolivarensis · P. grandiflora · P. humilis · P. imperialis · P. insignis (Malabar Chestnut) · P. liesneri · P. loddigesii · P. longiflora · P. longifolia · P. lukayensis · P. macrantha · P. macrocalyx · P. macrocarpa · P. marginata · P. mawarinumae · P. minor · P. morae · P. multilobata · P. mutisiana · P. nervosa · P. nitida · P. nukakica · P. obovata · P. obtusa · P. oleagina · P. oleaginea · P. orinocensis · P. palmata · P. paraensis · P. patinoi · P. petropolitana · P. pseudofaroensis · P. pulchra · P. punga-schunkei · P. pustulifera · P. quinalum · P. quinata · P. retusa · P. robynsii · P. rufescens · P. rupicola · P. rurrenabaqueana · P. sessilis · P. sordida · P. speciosa · P. spruceana · P. stenopetala · P. subandina · P. tepuiensis · P. tocantina · P. tomentosa · P. trinitensis · P. utiarityi · P. villosula · P. yapacanae

Bibliography

• Angely, J. A. 1970–. Flora analítica e fitográfica do Estado de São Paulo. (F Anal Sao Paulo)
• Berhaut, J. 1971–. Flore illustrée du Senegal. (F Senegal)
• Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45. (L Peru)
• Croat, T. B. 1978. Flora of Barro Colorado Island. (F BarroColo)
• Duke, J. A. 1989. Handbook of Nuts. CRC Press. (Handb Nuts)
• Encarnación, F. 1983. Nomenclatura de las especies forestales comunes en el Perú. (Trees Peru)
• Feng Kuo-mei. 1984. Malvaceae. In: Feng Kuo-mei, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 49(2): 1-102.
• IPGRI. New World Fruits Database - on-line resource. (New World Fruits)
• Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. (Hortus 3)
• Liogier, H. A. & L. F. Martorell. 1982. Flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands: a systematic synopsis. (F PR)
• Pulle, A. A. et al., eds. 1932–. Flora of Suriname. (F Suriname)
• Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants. (Dict Rehm)
• Reitz, R., ed. 1965–. Flora ilustrada catarinense. (F SCatarin)
• Roosmalen, M. G. van. 1977. Surinaams vruchtenboek. (Surinaam V)
• Spellman, D. L. et al. A list of the monocotyledoneae/dicotyledonae of Belize. Published in Rhodora v. 77 & 83, 1975 & 1981 (L Belize)
• Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946–1976. Flora of Guatemala. (F Guat)
• Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943–1980. Flora of Panama. (F Panama)

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CA L | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
• Translate this page using Google: Arabic | Chinese | Deutsch | Español | Français | Italiano | Japanese | Korean | Português

Notes

Contributors:

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed December 04, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 13 providers.
• USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (May 05, 2008)

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal December 04, 2007:

• Biologiezentrum der Oberoesterreichischen Landesmuseen, Biologiezentrum Linz
• Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Andes to Amazon Biodiversity Program
• Comisión nacional para el conocimiento y uso de la biodiversidad, Banco Nacional de Germoplasma Vegetal, México
• Herbarium of the University of Aarhus, The AAU Herbarium Database
• Herbier de la Guyane, Herbier de la Guyane
• Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad
• , Biodiversidad de Costa Rica
• Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
• Taiwan Biodiversity Information Facility, Magnoliophyta

Identifiers:

• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13741360
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:562651-1
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 415467

Footnotes:

1. Ya Tang, Michael G. Gilbert & Laurence J. Dorr "Malvaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 12 Page 240, 264,299, 302. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
2. Qiner Yang & Michael G. Gilbert "Pachira". in Flora of China Vol. 12 Page 299. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.