Ceiba pentandra · Lablypedia

The tree and the cotton-like fluff obtained from its seed pods are commonly known in English as kapok, a Malay-derived name which originally applied to the related species Bombax ceiba, a native of tropical Asia. In Spanish-speaking countries the tree is commonly known as "ceiba" and in French-speaking countries as fromager. The tree is cultivated for its cottonlike seed fibre, particularly in south-east Asia, and is also known as the Java cotton, Java kapok, silk-cotton or samauma.

Characteristics

The tree grows up to a maximum verified height of 60.4 metres (198 ft) tall as confirmed by laser measurement, but with unverified claims of specimens up to 77 m (253 ft) tall. These very large trees are in the Neotropics or tropical Africa. In Southeast Asia C. pentandra often only reaches 27 m (90 ft). Trunks can often be up to 3 m (10 ft) in diameter above the extensive buttress roots. The very largest individuals, however, can be 5.8 m (19 ft) thick or more above the buttresses.

The buttress roots can be clearly seen in photographs extending 12 to 15 m (40 to 50 ft) up the trunk of some specimens and extending out from the trunk as much as 20 m (65 ft) and then continuing below ground to a total length of 50 m (165 ft)

The trunk and many of the larger branches are often crowded with large simple thorns. These major branches, usually 4 to 6 in number, can be up to 1.8 m (6 ft) thick and form a crown of foliage as much as 60 m (200 ft) in width. The palmately divided leaves are composed of 5–9 (–15) leaflets, the leaflets 5–21 cm (2–8 in) long and 2–6.5 cm (1–3 in) broad.

The tree is briefly deciduous, and it is during this leafless period that it flowers, with umbels of large flowers ranging from creamy white to red. After blooming, the trees produce several hundred 15 cm (6 in) pods containing seeds surrounded by a fluffy, yellowish fibre that is a mix of lignin and cellulose.

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Origin and distribution

Ceiba pentandra originated in the American tropics. Although it is generally thought to have been introduced to Africa by humans, there is no historical evidence of this, and there is strong ecological, botanical and cytological evidence that the tree is native to western and central Africa. The dispersal mechanism by which the tree may have crossed the Atlantic Ocean is uncertain, but the fruits float, and could have been transported by ocean currents. Domesticated in West Africa, Ceiba pentandra is possibly native from Cape Verde eastwards to Chad and southwards to Angola. It has been introduced from there to East Africa and Asia.

Taxonomy

Ceiba pentandra is generally considered monotypic with no infraspecific taxa, though some authors have divided it into three genetic varieties:

C. p. var. caribaea (DC.) Bakh., the rainforest emergent of the neotropics and African rainforests, with a chromosome count of 2n=80 or 88.
C. p. var. guineensis (Schumach. & Thonn.) H.G.Baker of the African savannas with a count of 2n=72.
C. p. var. pentandra a semi-dwarf form found throughout southern Asia and parts of Africa with a count ranging from 2n=72 to 84. This last is the source of commercial kapok.

Uses

The commercial tree is most heavily cultivated in the rainforests of Asia, notably in Java (hence one of its common names), the Philippines, Malaysia, and Hainan Island in China, as well as in South America.

The flowers are an important source of nectar and pollen for honey bees and bats. Bats are the primary pollinators of the night-blooming flowers.

Kapok fibre

Native tribes along the Amazon River harvest the fibre to wrap around their blowgun darts. The fibres create a seal that allows the pressure to force the dart through the tube.

The fibre is light, very buoyant, resilient, resistant to water, but very flammable. The process of harvesting and separating the fibre is labour-intensive and menial. It is difficult to spin, but is used as an alternative to down as filling in mattresses, pillows, upholstery, zafus, and stuffed toys such as teddy bears, and for insulation. It was previously popularly used in life jackets and similar devices, until synthetic materials largely replaced the fibre.

Traditional medicine

The bark has been used in folk medicine as decoctions and infusions of the flowers. The tree is regarded as a "teacher plant" in Ayahuasca shamanism by the Ese Ejja people of Peru, and the Shipibo-Conibo people believe a tree spirit causes visions.

Seed oil

A vegetable oil can be pressed from the seeds. The oil has a yellow colour and a pleasant, mild odour and taste, resembling cottonseed oil. It becomes rancid quickly when exposed to air. Kapok oil is produced in India, Indonesia and Malaysia. It has an iodine value of 85–100; this makes it a nondrying oil, which means that it does not dry out significantly when exposed to air. The oil has some potential as a biofuel and in paint preparation.

Religion and folklore

The tree is a sacred symbol in Maya mythology.

The Ceiba is an important tree in Cuban culture. It is a sacred tree in Palo, Arará and Santería. Following from its religious connection to the Orishas of Santería, many rituals and customs surround the tree: offerings are placed or buried near the trunks, the trees are circumambulated, and the trees are generally not tampered with out of respect. Unrelated to Santería, the ceiba also features in folklore, and is associated with güijes.

According to the folklore of Trinidad and Tobago, the Castle of the Devil is a huge C. pentandra growing deep in the forest in which Bazil, the demon of death, was imprisoned by a carpenter. The carpenter tricked the devil into entering the tree in which he carved seven rooms, one above the other, into the trunk. Folklore claims that Bazil still resides in that tree.

Most masks from Burkina Faso, especially those of Bobo and Mossi people, are carved from C. pentandra timber.

C. pentandra is known as the Kankantrie/Kankantri among the Afro-Surinamese community, particularly those that subscribe to the Winti religion. The important role of the Kankantrie among the Afro-Surinamese as a holy residence for spirits has been documented for centuries. Despite the efforts of the Dutch to convert African slaves in Suriname to Christianity, many black Surinamese people continue to hold the tree in high regard. Cutting the tree is avoided even in modern-day Suriname, and often paired with a ritual in cases where cutting the tree is unavoidable.

Symbolism

Ceiba pentandra is the national emblem of Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and Equatorial Guinea. It appears on the coat of arms and flag of Equatorial Guinea.

The Cotton Tree was a landmark in downtown Freetown, Sierra Leone, and is considered a symbol of freedom for the former slaves that immigrated there. The roughly 40-metre tall tree snapped near the base, and fell in a storm on 24 May 2023.

Saigon, the former name of Ho Chi Minh City, may be derived from Sài (Sino-Vietnamese "palisade" etc.) and the Vietnamese name for the Kapok tree (bông) gòn, although, in this instance, the tree intended to be named may well be, not the New World Ceiba pentandra, but the Old World Bombax ceiba.