Can the money tree really make you rich?

During the Spring Festival when fireworks are banned, you may miss the bright flowers that soar into the night sky. Without fireworks, you can enjoy the fortune tree! It is economical and environmentally friendly, and you may have one at home.

Why can a tree be used as a substitute for fireworks? Just look at its flowers and you will know!

Flowers of the "money tree" | rob Stoeltje/Wikimedia Commons

The fortune tree is one of the most popular large indoor potted plants. In many places in southern my country, the fortune tree can be seen almost everywhere. People will place the fortune tree at home, in the hall, in the office; the appearance of these fortune trees is also varied, the big trunk is as thick as a bowl, and the small one can be held in the palm of your hand; sometimes it is a straight trunk, and sometimes it is twisted into a braid.

Money Trees in Guangzhou Families | Michelia

Both are money trees, one is beautiful in a pot, the other is a street tree | Ryan Kitko; Mk2010 / Wikipedia

From a botanical point of view, the true form of the "money tree" is two species of plants in the genus Pachira: Pachira aquatica and P. glabra. The former's name "aquatica" means aquatic, so it is also called water chestnut; the latter is also called "Malabar chestnut", which always sounds like an insult. They are both native to Central and South America, and the most common species on the market is the latter.

The traditional classification system places Castanea in the Bombacaceae family, and Castanea and Kapok are indeed somewhat similar in appearance, both having the same palmate compound leaves; but the latest classification system incorporates the entire Bombacaceae family into the Malvaceae family, and Castanea has to change its affiliation as well.

The fortune tree can really make you rich

Compared with other festive names, the name "Lucky Tree" is more widely used and has the longest history. There are even corresponding names in Japanese and English: "発財樹" and "Money Tree". So the question is, how did a plant from Central and South America come to China to make money?

There are two explanations for this question: One is that many years ago there was a poor boy who had nowhere to go but prayed to the sky, but he got nothing. Instead, he encountered a strange tree. So the poor boy took the seeds of the tree, propagated a lot of them and sold them, and finally made a lot of money. This tree that can help people get rid of poverty and become rich is called a money tree.

Money tree | mauro halpern / Flickr

Another version sounds more reliable. It says that in 1986, a truck driver in Taiwan planted five chestnut seedlings in a pot one day when he was free. He twisted their trunks together into a braid and named it "Money Tree". Unexpectedly, this cultivation method became popular, and the name of the Money Tree spread throughout East Asia, and the braid became the most popular image of the Money Tree.

Twisted tree trunks | Forest & Kim Starr / Wikipedia

However, if you think this is what the money tree really looks like, you are totally wrong - that is just the "bound state" of the money tree. It is locked in a small flower pot and becomes a pigtail. The money tree is really suffering. If it has the opportunity to be down-to-earth and grow on a wide land, the money tree will soon grow into a tall and graceful tree. The sky is their limit.

Under the right conditions, it can grow to this size! | Michelia

Because the impression of the money tree as a potted green plant is too solid, many people assume that the money tree will not bloom. So sometimes we can see some news saying that the money tree bloomed in a certain place, which is "rare" and "surprising", and some even say "one in a thousand"... In fact, the naturally grown money tree is easy to bloom, and it is fragrant and beautiful. So some media still need to improve their knowledge level. As an angiosperm, the money tree will bloom naturally as long as the conditions are suitable. It is not a miracle.

Flowers and unripe fruits of the chestnut tree | mauro halpern / Flickr; Hillewaert / Wikipedia

In early summer, the fortune tree enters its flowering period. Its petals are not conspicuous, long and curled like banana peels, but its stamens are long and numerous, too numerous to count, and when in full bloom they look like a burst of fireworks. As mentioned earlier, the fortune tree usually refers to two plants of the same genus, the Gastrodia elata and the Gastrodia elata. They look very similar and are often confused, but if you see the stamens, you can tell them apart in a second: the stamens of the Gastrodia elata are red, while the stamens of the Gastrodia elata are white.

The stamens can be used to distinguish the two | Michelia

After flowering, the fortune tree will produce oval fruits, which are a bit like papayas, and the seeds inside are a bit like chestnuts, which may be the origin of the name "guali" - and the seeds of the fortune tree are really the same as chestnuts, you can eat them after cooking, and the taste is similar. The fruits of the fortune tree will crack by themselves when they are ripe, and the inner wall of the fruit skin is furry with many fine cotton hairs, which is also one of the evidences that it is related to the kapok tree.

From the perspective of shape and texture, there are indeed certain similarities, the upper one is chestnut and the lower one is papaya | Mk2010 / WikipediaHans; Zhang Daigui / China Plant Image Library

The origin of the Chinese character for "栗" can be seen from the ripe fruit | mauro halpern / Flickr

The cracked fruit of the Glechoma longituba shows cotton wool | Michelia

The germination rate of fresh money tree seeds is not low. They can grow into miniature money tree potted plants. If you change the pot to a prettier one and put them in a more artistic flower shop, they can be sold for dozens or hundreds of yuan in minutes.

The road to wealth is not easy

On the other hand, although the money tree is a common plant, it is not easy to keep it well, especially for those who think everything they plant will die. It is common for the leaves of the money tree to turn yellow, wilt, fall off, and finally become bald and die. This is because the money tree is originally a plant in the rainforest, and the indoor environment is too different from their original living environment.

Beautiful potted money tree | Karl Thomas Moore / Wikipedia

There are several points to note when planting a good fortune tree: First, light. Fortune trees have a high demand for light. They should be placed in well-lit places such as windows and balconies, or moved outdoors regularly. They should not be placed in dark rooms all the time. Second, water. Most potted fortune trees are dug out from nurseries and then transferred to flower pots. This process will seriously damage its root system. Therefore, the root system of potted fortune trees is relatively fragile. If the pot soil is always too wet, it will cause root rot. It is necessary to follow the "eight-character mantra" of flower cultivation-do not water if it is not dry, and water thoroughly if you do. Third, temperature. Fortune trees are not cold-resistant and are easily frostbitten below 10℃. In winter without heating in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, it is necessary to keep warm. You can prune and cut leaves appropriately, reduce watering, but maintain sufficient air humidity. In addition, it is best to keep air circulation in the place where the fortune tree is planted, and you can also apply fertilizer appropriately during the vigorous growth period.

Don’t expect your own potted plants to bear fruit | loes&kees / Flickr

Having read all the way to here, you may have noticed carefully that today's protagonist basically appears in this article as the "Money Tree", while the "Lucky Tree" in the title rarely appears. There are two reasons for this: on the one hand, after years of selection, real lucky trees are now difficult to find, and only occasionally appear in botanical gardens, and almost all that can be seen are lucky trees; on the other hand, as a mature trade name, although the lucky tree has no scientific basis, it is already an unambiguous name. As long as you mention the money tree, everyone knows what you are talking about and will not associate it with other plants.

The trade names of other plants are actually following this trend: Money Tree, Fortune Tree, Peace Tree, and Green Treasure Tree are gradually pointing to Zamioculcas zamiifolia, Heteropanax fragrans, Cinnamomum kotoense, and Radermachera hainanensis in the flower market. In my opinion, these trade names carry people's yearning for a better life and pursuit of a happy life; as long as they do not cause misunderstanding, why should we be too serious about using them in life?

However, if you want to see the money tree in your pot bloom into "fireworks", it doesn't have this ability. You have to go to the wild to see it.

Author: Han Xiao

This article comes from the Species Calendar, welcome to forward

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