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The tree and the cotton-like fluff obtained from its seed pods are commonly known in English as kapok, a Malay-derived name which originally applied to Bombax ceiba, a native of tropical Asia. [3] In Spanish-speaking countries the tree is commonly known as " ceiba " and in French-speaking countries as fromager .
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 , [ 3 ] both of which may also refer to Ceiba pentandra .
Cochlospermum fraseri is a deciduous shrub or small tree which can grow to 7 m tall. It flowers from March to October, the inflorescence being a terminal panicle. The flowers are asymmetric, having five sepals in two whorls, with the outer two sepals being shorter than the inner three, and it has numerous stamens.
The Ceiba tree seed is used to extract oils used to make soap and fertilizers. The Ceiba continues to be commercialized in Asia, especially in Java, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Ceiba pentandra is the central theme in the book titled, The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry.
The tree appears on the flag of Equatorial Guinea. The tree fibers are 100% cellulose, able to float, impervious to water, and have a low thermal conductivity. Called Kapok in Asia, the fibers are mainly used for insulation in sleeping bags and life preservers. The fibers are also used as stuffing for pillows and mattresses.
The seed, leaves, and bark of the kapok tree have been used in traditional medicines by indigenous peoples of the rainforest regions in the Americas, west-central Africa, and Southeast Asia in the treatment of this disease. [31] [32] [33]
Bombax ceiba, a red-flowering tree, native to parts of tropical Asia, northern Australia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands; previously also known as Bombax malabaricum, the 'Malabar kapok' Ceiba pentandra, a native tree of the tropical Americas and West Africa with white flowers, cultivated particularly in south-east Asia for its seed fibre
Aerva javanica, the kapok bush or desert cotton, is a species of plant in the family Amaranthaceae. It has a native distribution incorporating much of Africa (including Madagascar), and the south-west and south of Asia, and it has become adventitious in northern Australia.