Bombax ceiba seed

LATIN NAME: Bombax ceiba

COMMON NAME: Silk Cotton Tree

Silk cotton tree is the tall, bold, scarlet-flowered tree of the warm world, and its great, red, waxy flowers on the bare branches are one of the fine sights of the warm-season garden. The tall, open tree carries the palmate, fresh-green leaves, which fall in the dry season, and the large, cup-shaped, scarlet-red flowers open in the clusters on the bare branches, to be followed by the green, woody pods of the fine, silky, cotton-like fibre. The soft, silky fibre of the pods has a long record of use for the stuffing and the padding. It is a fine, bold tree of the warm, sunny garden.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

Silk cotton tree has a steady and growing place in the plant science, and it has been studied for its great, scarlet flowers and its fine, silky fibre. The bold, red, waxy flowers, which are pollinated by the bats and the birds of the warm world, have been studied closely, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the bat-pollinated trees and the warm-climate trees. The palmate leaves and the soft, silky, cotton-like fibre of the pods have also made it a fine tree, and it is a regular subject of the studies of the fibre trees and the bold, flowering trees of the warm regions.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Silk cotton tree is grown for the scarlet flowers and the silky fibre. The great, cup-shaped, scarlet-red flowers open on the bare branches in the warm season, one of the boldest of the tree flowers, and they are a fine food for the birds, the bats and the bees of the region. The soft, silky fibre of the pods has a long record of use for the stuffing of the pillows, the cushions and the padding, and the pale, smooth wood has its uses as well. It has been written up in the botanical and the horticultural papers for its bold flowers and its fine, silky fibre, and it is a fine, bold tree of the warm, sunny garden.

The silk cotton tree is one of the boldest of the warm-climate trees, and the great, cup-shaped, scarlet-red flowers open on the bare branches in a fine, dramatic show. The soft, silky fibre of the pods has a long record of use for the stuffing of the pillows and the padding, and the pale, smooth wood has its uses as well. The tall, open tree is a fine, generous shade tree of the warm garden.

To grow the silk cotton tree from seed, warm the round, hard seeds in a cup of hot water for a few hours, then sow them at a depth of a couple of centimetres in pots of moist, free-draining soil, keep them in a warm, bright, sheltered spot and water gently. The seedlings are up quickly and grow on fast in the warmth. With the sun, the warmth and the well-drained soil, the scarlet, cup-shaped flowers will be there on the bare branches in a few seasons.

A unique tree that has a bulbous trunk & can grow over 40′ tall & wide. The flowers are red in color and appear in the late fall after the leaves fall off the tree for the winter. The phenomenon paints the whole landscape in an enchanting red hue. The seed pods are filled with silky white threads “kopak” that give this tree its Silk Cotton name. This substance is used for filling economically priced pillows, quilts, sofas etc. The fruit is cooked and eaten and also pickled. The fruit, the size of a ping-pong ball, on maturity appears during March and April.