Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tree
Tender Perennial
Origin
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, China, Melanesia, Australia
North America, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Caribbean, Central America, South America
Types
Ceiba casearia, Bombax pentandrum
Cryptanthus 'Absolute Zero'
Cryptanthus 'Agate'
Cryptanthus 'Alberta'
Cryptanthus 'Alpine Frost'
Number of Varieties
10480
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Tropical regions
Lowland evergreen rainforest, Rainforest, Shaded sites, Wild
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-15-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-7
-
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
-
Habit
Oval or Rounded
-
Plant Size
Minimum Height
1,830.00 cm20.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
1,830.00 cm15.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Orange Red
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
-
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
-
Growth Rate
Medium
-
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
-
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
-
Soil Drainage
Well drained
-
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Late Winter
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Cuttings, Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Average Water Needs, Do not water excessively, Keep the Soil well drained
In Summer
Moderate
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
-
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
-
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
-
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
-
Pruning
Prune when young, Remove dead branches
Pinch or prune as they grow to promote branching and bushiness, Pinching, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
Does not require fertilizer once established
Pests and Diseases
Bacterial leaf spot, Red blotch, Root rot
Pests and diseases free, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Soil Compaction
Variety of soil types
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
-
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Birds, Hummingbirds
Ladybug beetles, Mealybugs, Scale Insects
Allergy
Headache, Pulmonary oedema, Respiratory distress, wheezing
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Beautification, Borders, Decorating walls, Ground Cover
Beauty Benefits
Improve skin tone, Making cosmetics, Moisturizing, Skin irritation
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent Soil Erosion, soil stabilisation
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Aphrodisiac, Diuretic
-
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds
-
Other Uses
Oil is used as an industrial solvent, Used as Ornamental plant
Used as Ornamental plant, useful as a ground cover
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Tropical
-
Botanical Name
Ceiba pentandra
CRYPTANTHUS
Common Name
Cotton Tree, Red Kapok, Red-silk-cotton Tree
Cryptanthus, Earth Star
In Hindi
सफ़ेद सेमल / शाल्मली
Earth Star
In German
Kapok baum
Erdstern
In French
Fromager
Terre étoile
In Spanish
Ceiba
estrella de la tierra
In Greek
Ceiba
γη αστεριών
In Portuguese
Mafumeira
Estrela da terra
In Polish
Puchowiec pięciopręcikowy
Gwiazda ziemi
In Latin
Ceiba
terra, stella
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Malvales
Bromeliales
Family
Bombacaceae
Bromeliaceae
Genus
Ceiba
Cryptanthus
Clade
Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Bromelioideae
Number of Species
1050
1
27800
👆🏻