Appearance
The branches of ''Sterculia foetida'' are arranged in whorls, and they spread horizontally. The tree's bark is smooth and grey. The leaves of the plant are situated at the ends of branchlets containing 7-9 leaflets. The leaflets grow elliptically, and are 10–17 cm. Also they are shortly petiouled with each petiole being 12.5–23 cm long. The petioles are the source of the foul smell of the plant. Evidence suggests that the seeds of ''Sterculia foetida'' are edible, but they should be roasted prior to eating. Each fruit generally contains 10-15 seeds. The flowers are found as panicles, and they are 10–15 cm long. The green or purple flowers are large and unisexual as male and female flowers are found on different trees. The calyx is a dull orange color and divided into five parts. Each sepal is 1-1.3 cm long. The follicles are scarlet. In India, flowers appear in March, and the leaves appear between March and April. Interestingly, at Hyderabad , flowering was observed in September-October with ripened fruits on the top part and young green fruits at the lower branches. The fruit is ripe in February .Distribution
''Sterculia foetida'' has been found in many areas. These aforementioned areas are India, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, United States , Indonesia, Ghana, Australia, Mozambique, and Togo.References:
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