Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Tree
Vegetable
Origin
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, China, Melanesia, Australia
Central America, Mexico
Types
Ceiba casearia, Bombax pentandrum
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Number of Varieties
103
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Tropical regions
Floodplains, Wet forest
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-157-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-7
12-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
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 cm15.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
1,830.00 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Orange Red
Yellow, Gold
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown
Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Late Winter
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Keep ground moist, Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season
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
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Prune when young, Remove dead branches
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
Compost, organic fertlizers
Pests and Diseases
Bacterial leaf spot, Red blotch, Root rot
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Soil Compaction
Cold climate
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
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Allergy
Headache, Pulmonary oedema, Respiratory distress, wheezing
Throat itching, Vomiting
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes
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
Food for animals, Food for birds
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Aphrodisiac, Diuretic
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds
Fruits, Seeds
Other Uses
Oil is used as an industrial solvent, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Tropical
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Botanical Name
Ceiba pentandra
MELOTHRIA scabra
Common Name
Cotton Tree, Red Kapok, Red-silk-cotton Tree
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
In Hindi
सफ़ेद सेमल / शाल्मली
Mousemelon
In German
Kapok baum
Maus Melone
In French
Fromager
Mousemelon
In Spanish
Ceiba
Mousemelon
In Greek
Ceiba
πεπόνι ποντίκι
In Portuguese
Mafumeira
melão rato
In Polish
Puchowiec pięciopręcikowy
mysz melona
In Latin
Ceiba
mouse melon
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Malvales
Cucurbitales
Family
Bombacaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Ceiba
Cucumis
Clade
Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Melothrieae
Subfamily
-
Cucurbitoideae
Number of Species
1050
1
27800
👆🏻