Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Tree
Sedge or Rush
Origin
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, China, Melanesia, Australia
Southern Europe, United Kingdom, Northern Africa
Types
Ceiba casearia, Bombax pentandrum
-
Number of Varieties
1020
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Tropical regions
Grassland, Humid climates, Riverbanks, Wet forest
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-158-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-7
11-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Arching/Fountain-shaped
Plant Size
Minimum Height
1,830.00 cm15.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
1,830.00 cm45.70 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Orange Red
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Medium
Slow
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Poorly Drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Late Winter
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Keep the ground moist but not water-logged, Requires regular watering, Water when soil is dry
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
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Poorly Drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Prune when young, Remove dead branches
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacterial leaf spot, Red blotch, Root rot
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Soil Compaction
Drought
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Birds, Hummingbirds
Insects
Allergy
Headache, Pulmonary oedema, Respiratory distress, wheezing
Asthma, Skin irritation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Beautification
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
Digestion problems, Fever
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds
Whole plant
Other Uses
Oil is used as an industrial solvent, Used as Ornamental plant
Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Tropical
Bog Garden, Container, Edging, Rock Garden / Wall
Botanical Name
Ceiba pentandra
ISOLEPIS cernua
Common Name
Cotton Tree, Red Kapok, Red-silk-cotton Tree
Low Bulrush
Slender Clubrush
In Hindi
सफ़ेद सेमल / शाल्मली
फाइबर ऑप्टिक घास
In German
Kapok baum
Lichtwellenleiter-Gras
In French
Fromager
Fibre optique Herbe
In Spanish
Ceiba
Hierba de fibra óptica
In Greek
Ceiba
Οπτικών Ινών Grass
In Portuguese
Mafumeira
Fibra Óptica Relva
In Polish
Puchowiec pięciopręcikowy
Światłowody Trawa
In Latin
Ceiba
Fiber opticus Grass
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Magnoliopsida
-
Order
Malvales
Poales
Family
Bombacaceae
Cyperaceae
Genus
Ceiba
Isolepis
Clade
Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Pooideae
Number of Species
1070
1
27800
👆🏻