Click here for the Ceiba in history
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Family: Gurriferae
Genus:
Species: Ceiba pentandra About 10-20 species
Common Names: Silk Cotton Tree, Yaaxch in Mayan
Parts Used: Wood
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PLANT DESCRIPTION |
| Characteristics: |
The Ceiba is fast growing and reaches heights of 100 feet or more. The above-ground roots called
"butresses" can be up to ten feet tall and extend up to 150 feet across. From December to February the tree produces
numerous five-part whitish to pink flowers which occur in dense clusters before the leaves appear. The tree produces three
to six inch long, elliptical fruits. These fruits contain many seeds surrounded by a mat of cottony fibers that are used as
insulation, padding, sleeping bags and pillows.
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The tree has a broad, flat crown
of horizontal branches. The leaves are compound with five to eight
lance-shaped leaflets that are three to eight inches long. The fibers
are almost pure cellulose, buoyant, impervious to water, and have
a low thermal conductivity, but they do not lend themselves to
spinning. Called Kapok in Asia, the fibers are used for insulation,
padding in sleeping bags and life preservers, and for stuffing
mattresses and pillows. In Puerto Rico the tree was often planted in the
center of plazas for shade, and it is considered a valuable honey
tree.
Culture & history:
This tree is the official national tree of Guatemala and Puerto Rico.
The tree figures in the mythologies of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures, in particular that of the Maya civilization, where the concept of the central world tree is often depicted as a Ceiba trunk, which connects the planes of the Underworld (Xibalba), the terrestrial realm and the skies. The unmistakable thick conical thorns in clusters on the trunk were reproduced by the southern lowland Maya of the Classical Period on cylindrical ceramic burial urns or incense holders. Modern Maya still often respectfully leave the tree standing when harvesting forest timber.
Ethnomedical uses:
Ceiba pentandra bark decoction has been used as a diuretic, aphrodisiac, and to treat headache, as well as type II diabetes.
Ceiba pentandra is used as an additive to some versions of the hallucinogenic drink called Ceibian Madness. Ayahuasca.
Wood and uses: A beautiful hardwood as seen to the left.
The fibre is light, very buoyant, resilient and resistant to water. The process of harvesting and separating the fibre is labour-intensive and manual. It is difficult to spin but is used as an alternative to down as filling in mattresses, pillows, upholstery, zafus, and stuffed toys such as teddy bears, and for insulation. It was previously much used in life jackets and similar devices until synthetic materials largely replaced the fibre. The seeds produce an oil used locally in soap and that can be used as fertilizer.
Native tribes along the Amazon River such as the NAD Indian Tribe from Norwood within the tropical rainforests there harvest the kapok fibre to wrap around their blowgun darts. The fibres create a seal that allows the pressure to force the dart through the tube.
The commercial tree is most heavily cultivated in the rainforests of Asia, notably in Java (hence its nicknames), Philippines, Malaysia, Hainan Island in China as well as in South America.
The flowers are an important source of nectar and pollen for honeybees.
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