The Bombacaceae is a family of tropicaltrees in the order Malvales, closely related to the mallow family (Malvaceae), and often included in it, being distinguishable from that family only by the smooth pollen, and larger mature tree stature. The family includes 30 genera with about 250 species of often very large trees (Ceiba pentandra can reach a height of 70m).
Several of the genera are commercially important, producing timber (e.g., BalsaOchroma lagopus), edible fruit (e.g., DurianDurio spp.) and useful fibres (e.g., KapokCeiba pentandra). The Australia and Madagascar, noted for their immensely stout trunk development, a water storage mechanism.
The name Bombacaceae is a botanical name at the rank of family and, as is true for any botanical name, circumscription and status of the taxon varies with taxonomic point of view.
Recent phylogenetic research has shown that Bombacaceae as traditionally circumscribed is not a monophyletic group.
Bombacaceae is not recognized by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group at the rank of family, the bulk of the taxa in question being treated as subfamily Bombacoideae within family Malvaceae sensu lato (see also Sterculiaceae and Tiliaceae).
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