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Bombax cieba - Tropical Cotton Tree


Bombax cieba - Tropical Cotton Tree (Bombax cieba - Tropical Cotton Tree)

Tropical Cotton Tree is a monstrous tree to more than 200 feet /60 meters tall and this tree is this tall. This tree when in bloom in early spring in breath-taking with its bright red flowers! Unfortunately, I could not take a photo of the whole tree...it would not fit into my camera lens. Photo taken August 4, 2009 at Foster's Botanical Garden in Honolulu, HI.



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Fantastic !

14 Aug, 2009

 

Wow - we have them here but I've never seen one that big. They're one of my favourite winter flowering trees - they're just dropping their flowers now and the leafless trees with their fantastic bumpy bark look so weird. We also call them the Kapok Tree or the Red Silk Cotton Tree.

14 Aug, 2009

 

This is where Kapok comes from then and cotton's from low growing bushes i thought ?

14 Aug, 2009

 

I think both the kapok tree (Bombax cieba) and the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) produce kapok. I think it's the Ceiba pentandra's kapok that is used for cushions etc though. Correct me if I'm wrong Delonix.

14 Aug, 2009

 

Interesting.

14 Aug, 2009

 

Louise1, Bernieh:

This is a fantastic tree is correct!
One of its common names is Kapok tree, Silk-Cotton Tree and list goes on...Ceiba pentandra and all the other genera previously used have all been reclassified into the genus Bombax.

Bernieh, you're correct they bloom in winter, not spring...these trees grow here in San Diego, CA. also...however, the tallest ones I've seen are only 60 feet /20 meters tall which are dwarfed by the large ones in Hawaii. They produce kapok which used to be used as an inferior cotton now...it still may be used in some countries though.

14 Aug, 2009

 

wow what an awesome tree. love the roots....and enjoying learning so much on here...kapok comes from a tree.......;-))

15 Aug, 2009

 

That is huge Andy...........

16 Aug, 2009

 

Sandra:

There's many trees in the Bombaceae family which produce kapok. This is just one species. : > )

Milky:

Yes, it is...you have no idea until you see the whole tree. It's incredibly massive! : > )

17 Aug, 2009

 

Wonderful... how old is this tree... do you have any idea?

27 Aug, 2009

 

Aleyna:

I'm not exactly how hold this tree is...however, I can speculate it may be more than 100 years old. Foster's Botanical Garden was established circa 1850. I've only seen a few of these trees this large...all in the Hawaiian Islands.

The tallest ones I've seen in Southern Ca. are only 50 feet / 16 meters or so in height.

28 Aug, 2009



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