Red silk-cotton tree
Bombax ceiba L.
The red silk-cotton tree (Bombax ceiba) is a large tree that sheds its leaves in the dry season and blooms brilliant red on bare branches; its pods yield white “silk cotton” used for pillows and life jackets, while flowers and roots serve as medicine.
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Gallery
Red silk-cotton tree — Seeds & young plantsRed silk-cotton tree — Whole tree
Red silk-cotton tree — Fruit & seeds
Red silk-cotton tree — Flowers
Red silk-cotton tree — Leaves
Red silk-cotton tree — Trunk & barkRed silk-cotton tree — Seeds & young plantsRed silk-cotton tree — Whole treeOverview
A tree 20–40 m tall with a straight, buttressed trunk bearing conical thorns when young; it is leafless in the dry season. Leaves are palmate with 5–7 leaflets. Large red (sometimes orange) flowers 8–15 cm grow singly or clustered on bare branch tips; the capsule holds white cotton around black seeds.
The flowers are rich in nectar and attract birds and bats; the silk cotton is light, springy and water-repellent, used for pillows, cushions and life jackets. In places the young flowers are eaten as a vegetable; the light wood makes matches, clogs and light items.
Life cycle
From seed to productSeed
Seeds wrapped in white cotton disperse by wind; sown fresh they sprout in 2–4 weeks.
Sapling
Saplings grow fast; young stems are covered with protective conical thorns.
Flowering
The leafless tree bursts into brilliant red flowers visited by bees and birds.
Fruiting
Capsules split, releasing white cotton and seeds to the wind; timber is harvested after 10–15 years.
Distribution & origin
Share of recorded occurrences by region- South · Southeast Asia34%
- India22%
- Vietnam16%
- South China14%
- Northern Australia · Pacific14%
Chemical composition
Relative content in agarwood resin- NectarAttracts birds and bats30%
- Seed oil (cotton)From silk cotton24%
- Tannins · mucilageIn bark and root24%
- Flavonoids · othersIn flowers and leaves22%
Uses
- Silk cotton for pillows, cushions, life jackets and insulation
- Young flowers eaten as a vegetable in places; nectar for bees
- Bark, root and flowers in traditional medicine; light wood for matches and clogs
Properties
- Trunk
- Conical thorns when young, buttressed base
- Flower
- Large, red, on bare branches
- Fruit
- Capsule, white cotton
Habitat & conservation
Native to South and Southeast Asia; likes a tropical climate with a marked dry season and deep, well-drained soil; grows in deciduous forest, by rivers and along roads and villages.
Conservation
Not globally threatened (IUCN: Least Concern). Common within its range and planted as an ornamental and shade tree; no major concern.
References
- 1Plants of the World Online — Bombax ceiba — Kew Science, 2024
- 2IUCN Red List — Bombax ceiba — IUCN, 2019
- 3Bombax ceiba: a review of its botany and uses — Phytother. Res., 2015
- 4Hình ảnh minh hoạ lấy từ Wikimedia Commons, tôn trọng giấy phép ghi kèm — Wikimedia Commons,
- 5Nguồn ảnh: পাপৰি বৰা (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons — Wikimedia Commons,
- 6Nguồn ảnh: J.M.Garg (CC BY-SA 3.0), Wikimedia Commons — Wikimedia Commons,
- 7Nguồn ảnh: Earth100 (CC BY-SA 3.0), Wikimedia Commons — Wikimedia Commons,
- 8Nguồn ảnh: 百楽兎 (CC BY-SA 3.0), Wikimedia Commons — Wikimedia Commons,