Kapok, White silk cotton tree

Where does Kapok grow?

Found in: Africa, Andamans, Antigua and Barbuda, Asia, Australia, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Caribbean, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, China, Colombia, Congo DR, Congo R, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guiana, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mariana Islands, Marquesas, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North America, Pacific, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Rotuma, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, United States, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wallis & Futuna, West Africa, West Indies, West Timor, Yap, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Notes: There are 4-15 Ceiba species. (The fibres of the pods are used for pillows.) The seeds contain linoleic acid. Also put in the family Bombacaceae.

Status: It is a cultivated plant.

Growing Kapok, White silk cotton tree

Cultivation: Plants can be grown from seed. Seeds germinate quickly and seedlings can be transplanted. It can be easily grown from large cuttings. Plants can be budded.

Edible Uses: The young pods can be eaten cooked. The young leaves can be eaten cooked. The seeds can be eaten either roasted fresh, or after sprouting. They are also added to soups. The young flowers can be eaten. They are blanched before eating. The resin from the trunk is put in water and drunk. CAUTION Older pods and leaves have medicinal uses. Large quantities of seeds can upset the digestion.

Production: It is a fast growing tree. Pods are produced seasonally.

Nutrition Info

Kapok, White silk cotton tree Photos

References

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