Bombax ceiba
| Cotton tree | ||||||||||||||||
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 Cotton tree with only flowers in spring | ||||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||||
| Bombax ceiba L. | ||||||||||||||||
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Bombax malabaricum DC. |
Bombax ceiba, like other trees of the genus Bombax, is commonly known as cotton tree or tree cotton. This tropical tree has a straight tall trunk and its leaves are deciduous in winter. Red flowers with 5 petals appear in the spring before the new foliage. It produces a capsule which, when ripe, contains white fibres like cotton. Its trunk bears spikes to deter attacks by animals. Although its stout trunk suggests that it is useful for timber, its wood is too soft to be very useful.
Cultivation
The tree is widely planted in Malay, Indonesia, south China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. According to Chinese historical record, the king of Nam Yuet, Chiu To, gave a tree to the Emperor of Han dynasty in 2nd Century BC.
This tree is commonly known as Semal in India. It is widely planted in parks and on roadsides there because of its beautiful red flowers which bloom in March/April. This tree is quite common in New Delhi although it doesn't reach its full size of 60m there because of the semi arid climate. The cotton fibers of this tree can be seen floating in the wind around the time of early may.
This tree shows two marked growth sprints in India- in spring and during the monsoon months.
Uses
The cotton inside the fruits was used a substitute for cotton. The flower was a common ingredient in Chinese herb tea.
In Guangdong, the tree is known as muk min (木棉, lit. wood cotton) or hung min (紅棉, lit. red cotton). It is also known as Ying Hung Shue (英雄樹, lit. hero tree), for its straight and tall trunk. The tree flower is the flower emblem of Guangzhou and Kaohsiung. Folk knowledge in Hong Kong states that soon after the tree blooms, the weather will get hotter.
The Sanskrit name for this tree is Salmali. In the Rigveda, the chariot is made of Salmali (RV 10.85.20) and other woods.
International naming
- முள்ளிலவு (Mullilavu) in Tamil
External links
Gallery
 with fruits in new leaves at Jayanti in Buxa Tiger Reserve in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, India. |
 trunk at Jayanti in Buxa Tiger Reserve in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, India. |
 Large-billed Crow feeding on Bombax ceida in Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, India. |
 Young tree in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
 trunk of an old tree in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
 leaves in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
 leaves (back side) in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
 leaf in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
 House Crows at canopy in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
 flowers in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
 flowers in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
 flowering tree in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
 flowering canopy in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
 flower buds at Narendrapur near Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
 flower bud in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
 a view from below in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
 fallen flower at ground in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
 Trunk of a Young tree in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Bombax ceiba". Image Credit.
