About Silk Cotton Tree
Bombax ceiba, like other trees of the genus Bombax, is commonly known as cotton tree. More specifically, it is sometimes known as Malabar silk-cotton tree; red silk-cotton; red cotton tree; or ambiguously as silk-cotton or kapok, both of which may also refer to Ceiba pentandra. This Asian tropical tree has a straight tall trunk and its leaves are deciduous in winter. Red flowers with 5 petals appear in the spring before the new foliage. It produces a capsule which, when ripe, contains white fibres like cotton. Its trunk bears spikes to deter attacks by animals. Although its stout trunk suggests that it is useful for timber, its wood is too soft to be very useful.
Description adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Bombax ceiba
- Genus
- Bombax
- Family
- BOMBACACEAE
- Habit
- Tree
- Native to
- Tropical Asia
- Distribution
- India, Tropical Asia extending to East-West New Guinea
- Flowering & fruiting
- February-May
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Local Names
- Hindi
- शाल्मली Shalmali, सेमल Semal
- Nepali
- सिमल Simal
- Bengali
- লাল শিমুল
- Tamil
- Sittan, Sanmali, கோங்கு
- Telugu
- బూరుగ
- Kannada
- ಕೆಂಪುಬೂರಗ Kempu booraga, ಕೆಂಪುಬೂರುಗ Kempu booruga, ಎಲವ Elava
- Malayalam
- Unnamurika, ഇലവ്, മുള്ളിലം
Bombacaceae
Bombax Or Kapok Family
Silk Cotton Tree belongs to the Bombacaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the BOMBACACEAE family →Snap it. Know it.
Point your camera at silk cotton tree or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.