Editing Ceiba pentandra (section)

===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 fiber is light, very [[buoyancy|buoyant]], resilient, resistant to water, but very flammable. The process of harvesting and separating the fiber is labor-intensive and menial. It is difficult to [[spinning (textiles)|spin]], but is used as an alternative to [[down feather|down]] as filling in mattresses, pillows, upholstery, [[zafu]]s, and stuffed toys such as teddy bears, and for [[thermal insulation|insulation]]. It was previously popularly used in [[personal flotation device|life jacket]]s and similar devices - until synthetic materials largely replaced the fiber.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 February 2025 |title=A short history of early lifejackets and the NZ design which saved countless lives |url=https://www.kotuia.org.nz/korero-stories/a-short-history-of-early-lifejackets-and-the-nz-design-which-saved-countless-lives/ |access-date=23 February 2025}}</ref>