North America Non-native Plant

Aesandra

Botanical name: Aesandra butyracea

USDA symbol: AEBU2

Native status: Not native but doesn't reproduce and persist in the wild

Synonyms: Bassia butyracea Roxb. (BABU3)  ⚘  Madhuca butyracea (Roxb.) J.F. Macbr. (MABU)   

Aesandra: The Mysterious Plant That May Not Exist If you’ve stumbled across the name aesandra or its botanical name Aesandra butyracea in your plant research, you might be scratching your head – and for good reason! This particular plant presents quite the gardening mystery that’s worth exploring. What We Know ...

Aesandra: The Mysterious Plant That May Not Exist

If you’ve stumbled across the name aesandra or its botanical name Aesandra butyracea in your plant research, you might be scratching your head – and for good reason! This particular plant presents quite the gardening mystery that’s worth exploring.

What We Know (And Don’t Know) About Aesandra

Here’s where things get interesting: Aesandra butyracea appears to be either an extremely rare plant or possibly an outdated or incorrect botanical name. While we have some historical synonyms like Bassia butyracea and Madhuca butyracea, finding current, reliable information about this specific plant proves challenging.

The lack of readily available information about this plant’s native status, geographical distribution, growing requirements, and garden suitability suggests that it may not be a currently recognized species in mainstream botanical databases.

The Reality Check for Gardeners

As much as we’d love to give you the complete scoop on growing aesandra, the truth is that this plant remains elusive. Without confirmed information about its:

  • Native range and habitat
  • Growing requirements and hardiness zones
  • Size, growth habit, and appearance
  • Invasive or conservation status
  • Wildlife and pollinator benefits

We simply can’t recommend it for your garden or provide reliable growing advice.

What Should You Do Instead?

If you’re interested in this plant because of its potential connection to the Sapotaceae family (based on the synonyms), consider exploring well-documented native alternatives that offer similar benefits to your local ecosystem. Research plants native to your specific region that provide confirmed benefits to pollinators and wildlife.

Your local native plant society, extension office, or botanical garden can help you identify excellent native species that will thrive in your area and support local biodiversity – something we can’t guarantee with the mysterious aesandra.

The Takeaway

Sometimes in gardening, the most honest answer is we don’t know enough. Rather than risking disappointment or potential ecological issues with an unclear plant choice, focus your gardening energy on well-documented native species that will reliably enhance your landscape and support your local environment.

If you have specific information about Aesandra butyracea from a reliable botanical source, we’d love to learn more – but until then, this one remains filed under botanical mystery!

Aesandra

Classification

Group

Dicot

Kingdom

Plantae - Plants

Subkingdom

Tracheobionta - Vascular plants

Superdivision

Spermatophyta - Seed plants

Division

Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants

Subdivision
Class

Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons

Subclass

Dilleniidae

Order

Ebenales

Family

Sapotaceae Juss. - Sapodilla family

Genus

Aesandra Pierre - aesandra

Species

Aesandra butyracea (Roxb.) Baehni - aesandra

Plant data source: USDA, NRCS 2025. The PLANTS Database. https://plants.usda.gov,. 2/25/2025. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA