Ceiba pentandra

Ceiba pentandra
In eastern Peru
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Ceiba
Species:
C. pentandra
Binomial name
Ceiba pentandra
Synonyms
  • Bombax cumanense Kunth
  • Bombax mompoxense Kunth
  • Bombax orientale Spreng.
  • Bombax pentandrum L.
  • Ceiba caribaea (DC.) A.Chev.
  • Ceiba guineensis (Schumach.) A.Chev.
  • Ceiba occidentalis (Spreng.) Burkill
  • Ceiba thonningii A.Chev.
  • Eriodendron caribaeum (DC.) G.Don
  • Eriodendron occidentale (Spreng.) G.Don
  • Eriodendron orientale Kostel.
  • Eriodendron pentandrum (L.) Kurz
  • Gossampinus alba Buch.-Ham.
  • Gossampinus rumphii Schott & Endl.
  • Xylon pentandrum (L.) Kuntze

Ceiba pentandra is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae (previously placed in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and the northern half of South America; some authors also consider it native in western and central Africa. It is widely introduced in other tropical regions including South and Southeast Asia, where it is cultivated.

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.

Description

Base of giant specimen in eastern Ecuador

Vegetative characteristics

Ceiba pentandra is an up to 60 m tall tree with large plank buttresses. The buttress roots extend 12 to 15 m (40 to 50 ft) up the trunk, and extend up to 20 m (65 ft) outwards from the trunk and then continue 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 spines. 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.

Generative characteristics

The tree is briefly deciduous, and it is during this leafless period that it flowers. The globose, fasciculate inflorescence bears white, chiropterophilous, nocturnal, nectariferous, inclined or pendant flowers. The flowers have five petals. The five stamens with cream white staminal filaments have gold-yellow anthers. The pistil is creamy white. The pendant, elliptic, brown, 5-valved capsule fruit bears 66–250 ovoid, 4–6 mm wide, 45–65 mg heavy seeds, which are embedded in pale yellow silk cotton, which develops from the endocarp.

Taxonomy

It was described by Bombax pentandrum L. by L. in 1753. It was moved to the genus Ceiba Mill. as Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn. by Gaertn. in 1791. It is the type species of its genus.

Distribution and habitat

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.

Ecology

In west Africa, south-east Asia, and the Pacific Islands, the flowers are pollinated by pteropodid bats. The seeds are dispersed by wind or by water.

Uses

Kapok fibre

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.

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.

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.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rivers, M.C.; Mark, J. (2017). "Ceiba pentandra". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017 e.T61782438A61782442. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T61782438A61782442.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ceiba pentandra". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn". PROTA4U. Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  4. ↑ "Bombax ceiba (PROSEA)". Pl@ntUse. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Gribel, R., Gibbs, P. E., & Queiróz, A. L. (1999). Flowering phenology and pollination biology of Ceiba pentandra (Bombacaceae) in Central Amazonia. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 15(3), 247-263.
  6. ↑ Dr. Al C. Carder, FOREST GIANTS OF THE WORLD (Markham, Ontario: Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1995) p. 145 (Photo plate 123 with caption).
  7. ↑ Peter A. Furley D. Phil. and Walter W. Newey Ph.D., GEOGRAPHY OF THE BIOSPHERE (London: Butterworth, 1983) p. 279.
  8. ↑ Michael Bright et al, 1000 WONDERS OF NATURE (London: Reader's Digest Assoc., 2001) p. 332.
  9. ↑ Linda Gamlin and Anuschka de Rohan, MYSTERIES OF THE RAINFOREST (Pleasantville, N.Y.: Reader's Digest Assoc., 1998) p. 79.
  10. ↑ Ivan T. Sanderson and David Loth, IVAN T. SANDERSON'S BOOK OF GREAT JUNGLES (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1965) p. 78.
  11. ↑ Dr. Al C. Carder, GIANT TREES OF WESTERN AMERICA AND THE WORLD (Madeira Park, British Columbia: Harbour Publishing, 2005) p. 129. Measured by Prof. Robert van Pelt in 2003.
  12. ↑ Rohwer, Jens (2002). Tropical Plants of the World. New York: Sterling Publishing co. Inc. p. 84. ISBN 0-8069-8387-6.
  13. ↑ Linné, Carl von, & Salvius, Lars. (1753). Caroli Linnaei ... Species plantarum :exhibentes plantas rite cognitas, ad genera relatas, cum differentiis specificis, nominibus trivialibus, synonymis selectis, locis natalibus, secundum systema sexuale digestas... (Vol. 1, p. 511). Impensis Laurentii Salvii. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/358530
  14. ↑ Bombax pentandrum L. (n.d.). International Plant Names Index. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.ipni.org/n/317689-2
  15. ↑ Gaertner, Joseph, & Sturm, Jakob. (1788). De fructibus et seminibus plantarum /Joseph Gaertner (Vol. 2, p. 244). Sumtibus Auctoris, Typis Academiae Carolinae. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/37208233
  16. ↑ Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn. (n.d.). International Plant Names Index. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.ipni.org/n/1166232-2
  17. ↑ Ceiba Mill. (n.d.). International Plant Names Index. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.ipni.org/n/30003311-2
  18. ↑ "A short history of early lifejackets and the NZ design which saved countless lives". 23 February 2025. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  19. ↑ Morton, Julia Frances (1981). Atlas of Medicinal Plants of Middle America: Bahamas to Yucatan. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas. pp. 542–543. ISBN 9780398040369. LCCN 80-13503.
  20. ↑ Tareau, Marc-Alexandre; Greene, Alexander; Odonne, Guillaume; Davy, Damien (February 2022). "Ceiba pentandra (Malvaceae) and associated species: Spiritual Keystone Species of the Neotropics". Botany. 100 (2): 127–140. doi:10.1139/cjb-2021-0099. hdl:1807/109440. ISSN 1916-2790.
  21. 1 2 "Kapok seed oil". www.tis-gdv.de. Archived from the original on 2010-11-26. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  22. 1 2 Hellmuth, Nicholas (March 2011). "Ceiba pentandra" (PDF). Revue Magazine. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-06-17. Retrieved 2013-04-28.
  23. ↑ Cabrera, Lydia (2006). El Monte. Editorial Letras Cubanas. p. 171ff. ISBN 978-959-10-1546-4.
  24. ↑ Ramírez Cabrera, Luis E. (2014). Diccionario básico de religiones de origin africano en Cuba. Editorial Oriente. p. 77. ISBN 978-959-11-0972-9.
  25. ↑ Ross, Ciro Bianchi (2012-10-27). "Three times around the ceiba". OnCubaNews English. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  26. ↑ "Tobago's Avatar – 'The tree of life'". Tobago News. 2012-03-01.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  27. ↑ Bontadi, Jarno; Bernabei, Mauro (March 2016). "Inside the Dogon Masks: The Selection of Woods for Ritual Objects". IAWA Journal. 37: 84–97. doi:10.1163/22941932-20160122 – via ResearchGate.
  28. ↑ Kempen, Michiel van. "De levende afgod of De geschiedenis van een kankantrieboom | Literatuurgeschiedenis". www.literatuurgeschiedenis.org (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  29. ↑ "Kankantrie boom". Surinaams erfgoed (in Netherlands Dutch). Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  30. ↑ Philpott, Don (2003). Landmark Puerto Rico. Hunter Publishing, Inc. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-901522-34-1.
  31. ↑ Berry, Bruce. "Equatorial Guinea". CRW Flags. Archived from the original on 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
  32. ↑ Brinkerink, Wim. "Kapok at Walpole Street in Freetown, North West Province, Sierra Leone". Monumental Trees. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  33. ↑ "Sierra Leone's symbolic Cotton Tree falls during storm in Freetown". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 25 May 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-05-25. Retrieved 2023-05-25.