Ceiba pentandra is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae (previously placed in the family Bombacaceae), native to Central America, the Caribbean, and the northern half of South America;[ some authors also consider it native in western and central Africa.][
]
The tree and the cotton-like fluff obtained from its are commonly known in English as kapok, a Malay language-derived name which originally applied to the related species Bombax ceiba, a native of tropical Asia.
Characteristics
The tree grows up to a maximum verified height of tall as confirmed by laser measurement,[Prof. E.J.H. Corner, Wayside Trees of Malaya Volume 1 p. 436] Trunks can often be up to in diameter above the extensive . The very largest individuals, however, can be thick or more above the buttresses.[David G. Campbell, LAND OF GHOSTS (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 2005) p. 129.]
The buttress roots can be clearly seen in photographs extending up the trunk of some specimens[Dr. Al C. Carder, FOREST GIANTS OF THE WORLD (Markham, Ontario: Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1995) p. 145 (Photo plate 123 with caption).] and extending out from the trunk as much as and then continuing below ground to a total length of [Peter A. Furley D. Phil. and Walter W. Newey Ph.D., GEOGRAPHY OF THE BIOSPHERE (London: Butterworth, 1983) p. 279.][Michael Bright et al, 1000 WONDERS OF NATURE (London: Reader's Digest Assoc., 2001) p. 332.]
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 thick[Linda Gamlin and Anuschka de Rohan, MYSTERIES OF THE RAINFOREST (Pleasantville, N.Y.: Reader's Digest Assoc., 1998) p. 79.][Ivan T. Sanderson and David Loth, IVAN T. SANDERSON'S BOOK OF GREAT JUNGLES (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1965) p. 78.] and form a crown of foliage as much as in width.[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.] The palmately divided leaf are composed of 5–9 (–15) leaflets, the leaflets long and 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.
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 fruit 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 taxon 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 in China, as well as in South America.
The flowers are an important source of nectar and pollen for 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 buoyancy, 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 feather as filling in mattresses, pillows, upholstery, , 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 medicinal uses
Ceiba pentandra bark decoction has been used as a diuretic, as an aphrodisiac, and to treat headache, as well as type II diabetes. It is used as an additive in some versions of the psychedelic drink Ayahuasca.
Seed oil
A vegetable oil can be pressed from the seeds. The oil has a yellow colour and a pleasant, mild odour and taste,
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.
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. 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.
Symbolism
Ceiba pentandra is the National tree of Guatemala,
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.
Gallery
File:Ceiba pentandra Blanco2.238-cropped.jpg| Ceiba pentranda
File:Ceiba pentandra L. Gaertn.jpg|Canopy
File:Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn. (9327946214).jpg|Underside of single leaf
File:Ceiba pentandra 0011.jpg|Thorny buttress roots and trunk base
File:Kapok flowers I IMG 2377.jpg|Flowers in profile
File:Kapok Fruit I IMG 3839.jpg|Fruit close-up
File:Kapok-Ceiba pentandra 03.JPG|Twigs laden with dehiscent fruit showing kapok
File:Ceiba pentandra - Jardim Botânico da Madeira 02.jpg|Single dehiscent fruit revealing kapok-surrounded seeds
File:Ceiba pentandra fruit in hg.jpg|Dehisced fruit having shed shrivelled valves
See also
External links
-
Kapok Fibres
-
Seed Fibres
-
Germplasm Resources Information Network: Ceiba pentandra
-
Ceiba pentandra in Brunken, U., Schmidt, M., Dressler, S., Janssen, T., Thombiano, A. & Zizka, G. 2008. West African plants – A Photo Guide. Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Frankfurt/Main.
