Sterculia foetida is a soft wooded tree that can grow up to 115 feet tall. It was described in 1753 by
Carolus Linnaeus. Common names for the plant are the
bastard poon tree,
java olive tree,
hazel sterculia, and
wild almond tree. The origin of the name of the bad-smelling
Sterculia genus comes from the Roman god,
Sterquilinus, who was the god of fertilizer or manure.