Editing Ceiba pentandra

{{Short description|Kapok tree cultivated for seed fibre}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Kapok_tree_Honolulu.jpg
| image_caption = In [[Honolulu]]
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Rivers, M.C. |author2=Mark, J. |date=2017 |title=''Ceiba pentandra'' |volume=2017 |page=e.T61782438A61782442 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T61782438A61782442.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Ceiba
| species = pentandra
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]) [[Joseph Gaertner|Gaertn.]]<ref name=POWO>{{BioRef |powo |title = ''Ceiba pentandra'' |id = 1166232-2 |access-date = 9 August 2020}}</ref>
| synonyms = 
 {{Species list
 |Bombax cumanense |Kunth
 |Bombax mompoxense |Kunth
 |Bombax orientale |Spreng.
 |Bombax pentandrum |L.
 |Ceiba caribaea |(DC.) A.Chev.
 |Ceiba guineensis |(Schumach.) A.Chev.
 |Ceiba occidentalis |(Spreng.) Burkill
 |Ceiba thonningii |A.Chev.
 |Eriodendron caribaeum |(DC.) G.Don
 |Eriodendron occidentale |(Spreng.) G.Don
 |Eriodendron orientale |Kostel.
 |Eriodendron pentandrum |(L.) Kurz
 |Gossampinus alba |Buch.-Ham.
 |Gossampinus rumphii |Schott & Endl.
 |Xylon pentandrum |(L.) Kuntze
 }}
 |synonyms_ref = <ref name=POWO/>
}}

'''''Ceiba pentandra''''' is a [[tropical tree]] of the [[order (biology)|order]] [[Malvales]] and the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Malvaceae]] (previously emplaced in the family [[Bombacaceae]]), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and (as the variety ''C. pentandra'' var ''guineensis'') West Africa. A somewhat smaller variety has been introduced to [[South Asia|South]] and [[Southeast Asia]], where it is cultivated.

The tree and the cotton-like fluff obtained from its [[seed pod]]s are commonly known in English as '''kapok''', a [[Malay language|Malay]]-derived name which originally applied to ''[[Bombax ceiba]]'', a native of tropical Asia.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Bombax ceiba'' (PROSEA) |url=https://uses.plantnet-project.org/en/Bombax_ceiba_(PROSEA) |website=Pl@ntUse |access-date=19 July 2021 |archive-date=19 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719150254/https://uses.plantnet-project.org/en/Bombax_ceiba_(PROSEA) |url-status=live }}</ref> In Spanish-speaking countries the tree is commonly known as "[[ceiba]]" and in French-speaking countries as '''fromager'''. The tree is cultivated for its [[cotton]]like seed [[Kapok fibre|fibre]], particularly in south-east Asia, and is also known as the '''[[Java]] cotton''', '''Java kapok''', '''silk-cotton''' or '''samauma'''.

==Characteristics==
[[File:Ceiba pentranda (17161121825).jpg|thumb|Base of giant specimen in eastern Ecuador]]
The tree grows up to {{cvt|240|ft|m}} tall as confirmed by climbing and tape drop<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ents-bbs.org/viewtopic.php?p=3084 |title= Very huge tree in Thailand |last= <anonymous> |date= May 22, 2010 |access-date= May 5, 2011 |archive-date= April 7, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180407182825/http://www.ents-bbs.org/viewtopic.php?p=3084 |url-status= live }}</ref> with reports of Kapoks up to {{convert|252|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us|order=flip}} tall.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mayanodyssey.com/costa-rica/osa-peninsula.htm |title=mayanodyssey.com - Informationen zum Thema mayanodyssey. |website=www.mayanodyssey.com |access-date=2017-02-03 |archive-date=2017-02-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205184344/http://www.mayanodyssey.com/costa-rica/osa-peninsula.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> These very large trees are in the [[Neotropics]] or tropical [[Africa]]. The [[Southeast Asian]] form of ''C. pentandra'' only reaches {{convert|90|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us|spell=in}}.<ref>Prof. E.J.H. Corner, Wayside Trees of Malaya Volume 1 p. 436</ref> Trunks can often be up to {{cvt|3|m|ft|0}} in diameter above the extensive [[buttress root]]s. The very largest individuals, however, can be {{cvt|19|ft|m|sp=us|order=flip}} thick or more above the buttresses.<ref>David G. Campbell, LAND OF GHOSTS (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 2005) p. 129.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.drwren.com/photo_album/Tambop00/033.htm |title=Tambopota Rainforest Preserve, Peru, 2000 |access-date=2017-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201102624/http://www.drwren.com/photo_album/Tambop00/033.htm |archive-date=2008-12-01 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.drwren.com/peru/journal.html#0804 |title=Peru Journals |website=www.drwren.com |access-date=2019-06-28 |archive-date=2022-05-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523091141/http://www.drwren.com/peru/journal.html#0804 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | access-date=2017-02-05 | archive-date=2017-12-30 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230230340/http://www.ecology.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/amazonCeiba-big-tree-rf223.jpg | url=http://www.ecology.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/amazonCeiba-big-tree-rf223.jpg | title=amazonCeiba-big-tree-rf223 | url-status=dead}}</ref>

The buttress roots can be clearly seen in photographs extending {{cvt|40|to|50|ft|m|sp=us|order=flip}} up the trunk of some specimens<ref>Dr. Al C. Carder, FOREST GIANTS OF THE WORLD (Markham, Ontario: Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1995) p. 145 (Photo plate 123 with caption).</ref> and extending out from the trunk as much as {{cvt|65|ft|m|sp=us|order=flip}} and then continuing below ground to a total length of {{cvt|165|ft|m|sp=us|order=flip}}<ref>Peter A. Furley D. Phil. and Walter W. Newey Ph.D., GEOGRAPHY OF THE BIOSPHERE (London: Butterworth, 1983) p. 279.</ref><ref>Michael Bright et al, 1000 WONDERS OF NATURE (London: Reader's Digest Assoc., 2001) p. 332.</ref>

The trunk and many of the larger branches are often crowded with large simple [[spine (botany)|thorns]]. These major branches, usually 4 to 6 in number, can be up to {{cvt|6|ft|m|sp=us|order=flip}} thick<ref>Linda Gamlin and Anuschka de Rohan, MYSTERIES OF THE RAINFOREST (Pleasantville, N.Y.: Reader's Digest Assoc., 1998) p. 79.</ref><ref>Ivan T. Sanderson and David Loth, IVAN T. SANDERSON'S BOOK OF GREAT JUNGLES (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1965) p. 78.</ref> and form a crown of foliage as much as {{cvt|201|ft|m|sp=us|order=flip}} in width.<ref>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.</ref> The palmate [[leaf|leaves]] are composed of 5 to 9 leaflets, each up to {{cvt|20|cm|in|0}} long.

The tree is briefly [[deciduous]], and it is during this leafless period that it blooms with [[umbels]] of large flowers ranging from creme de menthe to red in color.<ref>{{cite book | last= Rohwer | first= Jens | date= 2002| title= Tropical Plants of the World | location= New York | publisher= Sterling Publishing co. Inc. | page= 84 |isbn= 0-8069-8387-6 }}</ref> After blooming, the trees produce several hundred {{cvt|15|cm|in|frac=2}} pods containing seeds surrounded by a fluffy, yellowish fibre that is a mix of [[lignin]] and [[cellulose]].

The referenced reports make it clear that ''C. pentandra'' is among the largest trees in the world.

==Uses==
{{unreferenced section|date=April 2024}}
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|Hainan Island]] in China, as well as in South America.

The flowers are an important source of [[nectar]] and [[pollen]] for [[honey bee]]s and [[Bat#Fruit and nectar|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 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> 

===Traditional medicinal uses===
{{unreferenced section|date=April 2024}}
''Ceiba pentandra'' bark [[decoction]] has been used as a [[diuretic]], as an [[aphrodisiac]], and to treat headache, as well as [[Diabetes mellitus type 2|type II diabetes]]. It is used as an additive in some versions of the psychedelic drink [[Ayahuasca]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2020}}

===Seed oil===
A [[vegetable oil]] can be pressed from the seeds. The oil has a yellow colour and a pleasant, mild odour and taste,<ref name="Kapok">{{cite web |url=http://www.tis-gdv.de/tis_e/ware/oele/kapok/kapok.htm |title=Kapok seed oil |website=www.tis-gdv.de |access-date=2011-07-26 |archive-date=2010-11-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126103639/http://www.tis-gdv.de/tis_e/ware/oele/kapok/kapok.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> resembling [[cottonseed oil]]. It becomes rancid quickly when exposed to air. Kapok oil is produced in India, Indonesia and Malaysia. It has an [[iodine value]] of 85–100; this makes it a nondrying oil, which means that it does not dry out significantly when exposed to air.<ref name="Kapok"/> The oil has some potential as a [[biofuel]] and in paint preparation.

==Religion and folklore==
The tree is a sacred symbol in [[Maya mythology]].<ref name="Hellmuth">{{cite journal |url=http://www.maya-archaeology.org/FLAAR_Reports_on_Mayan_archaeology_Iconography_publications_books_articles/23_Ceiba-pentandra-sacred-tree-for-Classic-Maya_Revue_Magazine-Mar-2011.pdf |first=Nicholas |last=Hellmuth |title=''Ceiba pentandra'' |date=March 2011 |journal=Revue Magazine |access-date=2013-04-28 |archive-date=2012-06-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617064921/http://www.maya-archaeology.org/FLAAR_Reports_on_Mayan_archaeology_Iconography_publications_books_articles/23_Ceiba-pentandra-sacred-tree-for-Classic-Maya_Revue_Magazine-Mar-2011.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Ceiba is an important tree in Cuban culture. It is a sacred tree in [[Palo (religion)|Palo]], [[Arará]] and [[Santería]].<ref>{{cite book |title=El Monte |first=Lydia |last=Cabrera |publisher=Editorial Letras Cubanas |year=2006 |isbn=978-959-10-1546-4 |page=171ff}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Diccionario básico de religiones de origin africano en Cuba |first=Luis E. |last=Ramírez Cabrera |publisher=Editorial Oriente |year=2014 |isbn=978-959-11-0972-9 |page=77}}</ref> Following from its religious connection to the [[Orisha]]s of Santería, many rituals and customs surround the tree: offerings are placed or buried near the trunks, the trees are [[Circumambulation|circumambulated]], and the trees are generally not tampered with out of respect.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ross |first=Ciro Bianchi |date=2012-10-27 |title=Three times around the ceiba |url=https://oncubanews.com/en/made-in-cuba/three-times-around-ceiba/ |access-date=2024-05-13 |website=OnCubaNews English |language=en-US}}</ref> Unrelated to Santería, the ceiba also features in folklore, and is associated with [[güijes]].

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 (demon)|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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thetobagonews.com/opinion/-Tobagos-Avatar--The-tree-of-life-141135673.html |title=Tobago's Avatar – 'The tree of life' |work=Tobago News |date=2012-03-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130630103605/http://www.thetobagonews.com/opinion/-Tobagos-Avatar--The-tree-of-life-141135673.html |archive-date=2013-06-30}}</ref>

Most masks from Burkina Faso, especially those of Bobo and Mossi people, are carved from ''C. pentandra'' timber.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bontadi |first1=Jarno |last2=Bernabei |first2=Mauro |date=March 2016 |title=Inside the Dogon Masks: The Selection of Woods for Ritual Objects |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298728256 |journal=IAWA Journal / International Association of Wood Anatomists |volume=37 |pages=84–97 |via=ResearchGate}}</ref>

''C. pentandra'' is known as the [[:nl:Kapokboom|Kankantrie]]/Kankantri among the [[Afro-Surinamese]] community, particularly those that subscribe to the [[Winti|Winti religion]]. 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kempen |first=Michiel van |title=De levende afgod of De geschiedenis van een kankantrieboom {{!}} Literatuurgeschiedenis |url=https://www.literatuurgeschiedenis.org/teksten/de-levende-afgod-of-de-geschiedenis-van-een-kankantrieboom |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=www.literatuurgeschiedenis.org |language=nl}}</ref> Cutting the tree is avoided even in modern-day [[Suriname]], and often paired with a ritual in cases where cutting the tree is unavoidable.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kankantrie boom |url=https://surinaamserfgoed.com/kankantrieboom/ |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=Surinaams erfgoed |language=nl-NL}}</ref>

==Symbolism==
''Ceiba pentandra'' is the [[National tree|national emblem]] of Guatemala,<ref name="Hellmuth"/> Puerto Rico,<ref>{{cite book |first=Don |last=Philpott |title=Landmark Puerto Rico |publisher=Hunter Publishing, Inc |isbn=9781901522341 |year=2003 |page=14}}</ref> and [[Coat of arms of Equatorial Guinea|Equatorial Guinea]]. It appears on the [[coat of arms]] and [[flag of Equatorial Guinea]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gq.html |first=Bruce |last=Berry |title=Equatorial Guinea |publisher=CRW Flags |access-date=2013-04-27 |archive-date=2019-05-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514192509/https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gq.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Cotton Tree (Sierra Leone)|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 70-metre-tall trunk snapped near the base, and fell in a storm on 24 May 2023.<ref name="Guardian">{{Cite news |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=25 May 2023 |title=Sierra Leone's symbolic Cotton Tree falls during storm in Freetown |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/25/sierra-leone-symbolic-cotton-tree-falls-during-storm-in-freetown |access-date=2023-05-25 |archive-date=2023-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525160029/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/25/sierra-leone-symbolic-cotton-tree-falls-during-storm-in-freetown |url-status=live }}</ref>

Saigon, the former name of [[Ho Chi Minh City]], may be derived from ''Sài'' ([[Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary|Sino-Vietnamese]] "palisade" etc.) and the [[Vietnamese language|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]]''.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="120px">
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
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[The Great Kapok Tree]]
*[[Xtabay]]
*[[Parque de la Ceiba]]
*[[Fiber crop]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ceiba pentandra}}
{{Wiktionary|Ceiba pentandra|kapok}}

*[http://www.textileschool.com/School/Fiber/NaturalCellulosicSeed/KapokFibers.aspx Kapok Fibers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120083126/http://www.textileschool.com/School/Fiber/NaturalCellulosicSeed/KapokFibers.aspx |date=2013-01-20 }}
*[http://www.textileschool.com/School/Fiber/NaturalCellulosicSeed.aspx Seed Fibers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109114103/http://www.textileschool.com/School/Fiber/NaturalCellulosicSeed.aspx |date=2013-11-09 }}
*[https://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?9703 Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Ceiba pentandra''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924160330/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?9703 |date=2015-09-24 }}
*[http://www.westafricanplants.senckenberg.de/root/index.php?page_id=14&id=299 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.

{{fibers}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q138617}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ceiba|pentandra]]
[[Category:Crops originating from the Americas]]
[[Category:Fiber plants]]
[[Category:National symbols of Equatorial Guinea]]
[[Category:National symbols of Guatemala]]
[[Category:National symbols of Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1791]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Trees of Africa]]
[[Category:Trees of Northern America]]
[[Category:Trees of South America]]