The only way to know is to get your gardening skill high enough to plant special seeds, and then wait for them to grow. There’s a one in four chance that an unknown special seed will turn out to be a money tree seed. Let’s take a look at all the ways you can get a money tree seed for yourself. So, where can you find a money tree seed in Sims 3? Analyze an unknown special seed (there’s a chance it will be a money tree), catch a box containing a money tree seed while fishing, use the conversion ritual (Supernatural), or if all else fails use a cheat. But to grow the plant, you need the seed!
In The Sims 3, players must plant and grow a money tree from seed to claim its rewards (unlike in The Sims 2 where the tree was the reward itself).