? Kapok
Kapok planted in Honolulu, Hawaii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Malvales Family: Malvaceae (Bombacaceae) Genus: Ceiba Species: C. pentandra
Binomial name
Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn.

Kapok (Ceiba pentandra) is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae (previously separated in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and (as the variety C. pentandra var. guineensis) to tropical west Africa. The word is also used for the fibre obtained from its seed pods. The tree is also known as the Java Cotton, Java Kapok, or Silk-cotton tree. Also referred to as Ceiba, it is a sacred symbol in Maya mythology. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (600x800, 214 KB) Kapok planted in the Foster Botanical Garden, Honolulu, Hawaii. ... Honolulu as seen from the International Space Station Honolulu is the largest city and the capital of the U.S. state of Hawai‘i. ... Official language(s) Hawaiian and English Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 43rd 28,337 km² n/a km 2,450 km 41. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Divisions Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum (a fern... Classes Magnoliopsida- Dicots Liliopsida- Monocots The flowering plants (also called angiosperms) are a major group of land plants. ... Magnoliopsida is the botanical name for a class: this name is formed by replacing the termination -aceae in the name Magnoliaceae by the termination -opsida (Art 16 of the ICBN). ... Families Malvaceae (mallows,...) Dipterocarpaceae Sarcolaenaceae Cistaceae Muntingiaceae Bixaceae Diegodendraceae Cochlospermaceae Sphaerosepalaceae Thymelaeaceae Neuradaceae The Malvales are an order of flowering plants, mostly comprised of shrubs and trees. ... Genera Abelmoschus - Okra Abutilon - Abutilon Adansonia – Baobab Alcea - Hollyhock Althaea - Marsh mallow Bombax – Silk-cotton tree Brachychiton – Bottletree Callirhoe - Poppy mallow Ceiba – Kapok Chiranthodendron – Mexican Hand Tree Cola - Kola nut Corchorus - Jute Durio – Durian Fremontodendron – Flannelbush Gaya – Gaya Gossypium - Cotton plant Hibiscus - Hibiscus Hoheria – Lacebark Kosteletzkya - Saltmarsh mallow Lavatera - Tree... Adansonia – Baobab Bombax – Silk_cotton tree Ceiba – Kapok Durio – Durian Ochroma – Balsa The Bombacaceae is a family of tropical trees 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. ... Species About 10-20 species, including: Ceiba aesculifolia Ceiba glaziovii Ceiba insignis Ceiba pentandra Ceiba speciosa Ceiba trichistandra Ceiba is the name of a genus of many species of large trees found in tropical areas, including Central and South America, The Bahamas,the Caribbean, West Africa, and Southeast Asia. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as (help· info), and in English usually under the Latinized name Carolus Linnaeus (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), the name with which his publications were signed, was a Swedish botanist and physician who laid the foundations for the modern scheme... Joseph Gaertner (1732-1791; in German Joseph Gärtner) was a German botanist. ... The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth. ... Scientific classification or biological classification refers to how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Families Malvaceae (mallows,...) Dipterocarpaceae Sarcolaenaceae Cistaceae Muntingiaceae Bixaceae Diegodendraceae Cochlospermaceae Sphaerosepalaceae Thymelaeaceae Neuradaceae The Malvales are an order of flowering plants, mostly comprised of shrubs and trees. ... Scientific classification or biological classification refers to how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Genera Abelmoschus - Okra Abutilon - Abutilon Adansonia – Baobab Alcea - Hollyhock Althaea - Marsh mallow Bombax – Silk-cotton tree Brachychiton – Bottletree Callirhoe - Poppy mallow Ceiba – Kapok Chiranthodendron – Mexican Hand Tree Cola - Kola nut Corchorus - Jute Durio – Durian Fremontodendron – Flannelbush Gaya – Gaya Gossypium - Cotton plant Hibiscus - Hibiscus Hoheria – Lacebark Kosteletzkya - Saltmarsh mallow Lavatera - Tree... Adansonia – Baobab Bombax – Silk_cotton tree Ceiba – Kapok Durio – Durian Ochroma – Balsa The Bombacaceae is a family of tropical trees 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. ... Map of Central America Central America is an area of the American continent in the Western Hemisphere. ... Central America and the Caribbean (detailed pdf map) The Caribbean, (Spanish: Caribe; French: Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Dutch: Cariben or Caraïben, or more commonly Antillen) or the West Indies, is a group of islands and countries which are in or border the Caribbean Sea which lies on... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ... Species Bombax buonopozense Bombax ceiba And six other species Silk cotton trees comprise eight species in the genus Bombax, native to tropical southern Asia, northern Australia and tropical Africa. ... Species About 10-20 species, including: Ceiba aesculifolia Ceiba glaziovii Ceiba insignis Ceiba pentandra Ceiba speciosa Ceiba trichistandra Ceiba is the name of a genus of many species of large trees found in tropical areas, including Central and South America, The Bahamas,the Caribbean, West Africa, and Southeast Asia. ... Maya mythology refers to the pre-Columbian Maya civilizations extensive polytheistic religious beliefs. ...

Kapok pod showing kapok fibres inside

The tree grows to 60-70 m tall and has a very substantial trunk up to 3 m in diameter with buttresses. The trunk and many of the larger branches are densely crowded with very large, robust simple thorns. The leaves are compound of 5 to 9 leaflets, each up to 20 cm and palm like. Adult trees produce several hundred 15 cm seed pods. The pods contain seeds surrounded by a fluffy, yellowish fibre that is a mix of lignin and cellulose. The process of harvesting and separating the fibre is labour-intensive and manual. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1888x1508, 510 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Ceiba ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1888x1508, 510 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Ceiba ...

The fibre is light, very buoyant, resilient, highly flammable and resistant to water. It cannot be spun but is used as a filling for mattresses, pillows,upholstery, teddy bears, and for insulation. It was previously much used in life jackets and similar devices. The fibre has been largely replaced by man-made materials. The seeds produce an oil used locally in soap and that can be used as fertilizer. The original Teddy bear (circa 1903). ...

The commercial tree is most heavily cultivated in Asia, notably in Java (hence its nicknames), Malaysia, and Indonesia, but also in the Philippines, and South America. Map of Java Java (Indonesian, Javanese, and Sundanese: Jawa) is an island of Indonesia, and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. ...

A similar fibre is found in the Indian Bombax malabarica, it is termed Indian kapok and is darker in colour and less buoyant than the true variety. Species Bombax buonopozense Bombax ceiba And six other species Silk cotton trees comprise eight species in the genus Bombax, native to tropical southern Asia, northern Australia and tropical Africa. ...

This tree is the official national tree of Puerto Rico. A Kapok Tree is one of the central themes of The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry.

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Ceiba pentandra