Puerto Rico Territorial Tree
Silk-Cotton Tree (common name) Ceiba pentandra (scientific name) Overview The silk-cotton tree is native to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, as well as much of the rest of the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, South America, and western Africa. It has been widely planted elsewhere in the tropics. In the Amazon rain forest, silk-cotton tree is among the largest trees, reaching over 200 feet tall. In the remainder of its range, it normally reaches heights of about 80-90 feet (24-27 m). Young trunks and branches are covered with large, pyramidal spines. The tree is also known as the Java cotton, Java kapok, kapok tree, ceiba de lana, or ceiba. Its seedpods contain a yellowish-white fiber that resembles cotton and gives the tree one of its common names. The fiber is light, buoyant, highly flammable, and water-resistant. It is made almost entirely of cellulose and is difficult to spin. Harvesting the fiber must be done by hand and is labor-intensive. While the silk-cotton tree is informally considered Puerto Rico's representative tree, no official designation has been made. Puerto Rico is not represented in the plantings of the National Grove of State Trees at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC. Close-up STATUS Unofficial PHYSICAL DETAILS The silk-cotton is a tall tree, often forming a wide, buttressed base. The crown is large, perhaps one of the widest-crowned trees in the world, and some may reach over 130 feet (40 m) in crown width. The bark is gray with large, wide, pyramidal spines, most noticeable on young trunks or on branches. Its leaves are palm-like with five to nine leaflets, and the tree is deciduous in the dry season. Large, five-petalled pink to white flowers open at night and are pollinated by bats. Fruits are large and elliptical, dangling from the branches, containing brown seeds with dense, yellowish-white fibers (the cotton). Height: 80-230 ft (24.4-70 m) Diameter: 5-10 ft (1.5-3 m) Bark: gray with large, pyramidal spines Fruit: large, oblong seedpods Leaves: 5-9 palm-like leaflets, each 3-8 in (8-20 cm) long LIFESPAN Silk-cotton is a rapidly growing deciduous tree that can grow to over 300 years of age. HABITAT Silk-cotton trees grow in both wet evergreen and dry semi-deciduous tropical forests of low to medium elevation. IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE Birds feed and nest in the tree's high perches, mammals climb on the enormous limbs, and insects, snakes, and frogs, including Puerto Rico's national symbol, the coquí, live in the tree's many epiphytes, aerial plants growing on the tree's branches. Birds and larger arboreal mammals feed on these smaller animals. Ground seeds of the silk-cotton tree are used in animal feed. OTHER USES AND VALUES The cottony white fibers, called kapok, were used to stuff life preservers for naval use in the early 1900s. Being buoyant, water-resistant, and lightweight, the fiber was well suited to this purpose. Silk-cotton tree fiber was once also used to stuff automobile seat cushions and mattresses. The use of kapok was discouraged because the fibers are flammable, and man-made materials have largely replaced the fiber. However, it is still sometimes used for insulation, pillows, stuffed toys, and sleeping bags. Fiber uses are arguably the most well-known economic role for the silk-cotton tree, but the light, soft, wood has been utilized for pulpwood and pallets, and the trunks of trees have been used to make large dugout canoes. Due to the wood's softness and susceptibility to insects, it is not used for furniture or construction. The seeds are eaten ground or roasted, and produce an oil used in soap, lighting, and fertilizer. Silk-cotton tree bark decoction has been used as a diuretic and aphrodisiac, and to treat headaches and type II diabetes. The roots are diuretic, antipyretic, and aphrodisiacal, and can be used to reduce fever and treat gonorrhea. Silk-cotton tree is used as an additive to some versions of the hallucinogenic drink Ayahuasca. In Suriname, the seeds, leaves, bark, and resin are used to treat dysentery, fevers, venereal diseases, asthma, menstruation problems, and kidney diseases. REPRODUCTION Silk-cotton tree fruits burst open while hanging from the tree, exposing the cotton-like substance. The small, brown seeds are dispersed by the wind. The flowers open in the evening and are pollinated by bats. The tree can be propagated by cuttings. SITE CHARACTERISTICS Puerto Rico's tree does best with full sun to partial shade. It grows in rich, organic soils of all textures from coarse to fine. It is not tolerant of frost or drought. LOCATION/ELEVATION The tree is native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, northern South America, and west Africa. It is found at up to 148 feet (450 m) in elevation. TRIVIA In 1898, during the Spanish-American War, negotiations for the surrender of Santiago, Cuba, as well as the surrender ceremony, took place under a giant ceiba tree, called the Arbol de la Paz or Tree of Peace. The ceiba tree is a sacred symbol in Mayan mythology, in which it is said to hold up the sky, connecting the terrestrial world to the spirit world. It plays a central role at Mayan wedding ceremonies and other Mayan holistic rituals, as well as in many Mayan mythological legends. It is also held sacred by the Maroons and Amerindians in Suriname. The Puerto Rican town of Ceiba is named after this tree. Disclaimer: The authors and publishers do not engage in the practice of medicine. Under no circumstances is this information intended as a medical recommendation.
	Click to enlarge an image Silk Cotton Tree Silk Cotton Tree Flower Silk Cotton Tree Seeds Silk Cotton Tree Bark Flowering Branch of Silk Cotton Tree CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Plantae Subkingdom: Tracheobionta Superdivision: Spermatophyta Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Subclass: Dilleniidae Order: Malvales Family: Bombacaceae Genus: Ceiba Species: Ceiba pentandra
	Sources: U.S. Forest Service U.S. National Arboretum U.S. Department of Agriculture Author: World Trade Press