Life Span
Perennial
Annual and Biennials
Type
Tree
Vegetable
Origin
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, China, Melanesia, Australia
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Types
Ceiba casearia, Bombax pentandrum
Lagenaria siceraria
Number of Varieties
102
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Tropical regions
Moist Soils, Tropical Climate
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-155-7
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-7
12-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
1,830.00 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
1,830.00 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Orange Red
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown
Yellow, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Late Winter
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Requires watering in the growing season, water on alternate days
In Summer
Moderate
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune when young, Remove dead branches
Cut out old flower stalks, Prune after flowering, Remove branches that rub together, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
High potassium diluted feed of 5-10-5, Nitrogen, Potassium
Pests and Diseases
Bacterial leaf spot, Red blotch, Root rot
Army-worms, Bacteria wilt, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Leaf rust, Red spider mite, Striped cucumber beetles
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Soil Compaction
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Birds, Hummingbirds
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Allergy
Headache, Pulmonary oedema, Respiratory distress, wheezing
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Decorating walls, Ornamental use
Beauty Benefits
Improve skin tone, Making cosmetics, Moisturizing, Skin irritation
Anti-ageing, Making cosmetics
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent Soil Erosion, soil stabilisation
Food for animals, Insect Repellent
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Aphrodisiac, Diuretic
Anti-fungal, Blood disorders, Culinary Usage, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Laxative, Nutritive, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds
Fruits
Other Uses
Oil is used as an industrial solvent, Used as Ornamental plant
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent, Used in making musical instruments
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Tropical
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Botanical Name
Ceiba pentandra
Lagenaria siceraria
Common Name
Cotton Tree, Red Kapok, Red-silk-cotton Tree
calabash, bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, opo squash
In Hindi
सफ़ेद सेमल / शाल्मली
लौकी
In German
Kapok baum
Flaschenkürbis
In French
Fromager
Lagenaria siceraria
In Spanish
Ceiba
Lagenaria siceraria
In Greek
Ceiba
Τσότρα
In Portuguese
Mafumeira
Cabaça
In Polish
Puchowiec pięciopręcikowy
Tykwa pospolita
In Latin
Ceiba
utrem cucurbita
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Malvales
Cucurbitales
Family
Bombacaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Ceiba
Coccinia
Clade
Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Papilionoideae
Number of Species
1027
1
27800
👆🏻