Ceiba PENTANDRA

Ceiba PENTANDRA - Kapok tree, Ceiba pentandra, White silk-cotton tree, Kapok.

Ceiba is a plant genus in the family Malvaceae, comprising 8 species native to the Old World tropics. They are tall deciduous trees with long-petioled palmately compound leaves. The flowers are large, mostly in clusters or solitary, pollinated by birds or bats. Stamens are numerous. The fruit is an oblong capsule.

The kapok tree is considered the tallest tree growing in central Africa, reaching a height of up to 45 m (148 ft). It is also widespread across the tropical regions of North and South America.

Massive trunks, covered with flat spines and featuring broad buttresses at the base, reach 2-3 m (6.6-9.8 ft) in diameter. The leaves are palmately compound, consisting of 5-9 leaflets up to 20 cm (7.9 in) long.

The kapok tree is propagated by seeds, which germinate quite easily at any time of year. Germination, as a rule, does not depend on soaking or bottom heat. The seeds are sown in a substrate to a depth equal to the size of the seed. The container is moistened and placed in a bright spot (but not in direct sun), having first been covered with plastic film.

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The tree grows quickly when positioned in direct sunlight with good watering. At the same time, it tolerates drought well. In winter, watering must be reduced.

Flowering begins in February at the end of the dry season. Bell-shaped flowers ranging from creamy to pink in color are clustered in bundles and appear both on the branches and directly on the tree trunk. The pungent floral aroma attracts bats, which assist in pollinating the flowers. New foliage usually emerges shortly after flowering. The tree produces fruit - ellipsoid woody capsules containing seeds covered in cotton-like fiber (kapok).