Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tree
Tender Perennial
Origin
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, China, Melanesia, Australia
Southeastern Asia, India, Melanesia, Micronesia
Types
Ceiba casearia, Bombax pentandrum
Variegata Dwarf, Variegata Chinese Beauty
Number of Varieties
1020
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Tropical regions
Tropical regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-158-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-7
12-5
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
1,830.00 cm180.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
1,830.00 cm120.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Orange Red
White, Red, Light Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Multi-Color
Fruit Color
Brown
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Lance shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Medium
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Late Winter
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
By dividing rhizomes, tubers
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Requires plenty of water during the growing season
In Summer
Moderate
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Prune when young, Remove dead branches
Cut off the flower stalks at the base of the plant, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
Apply 8-4-6 amount
Pests and Diseases
Bacterial leaf spot, Red blotch, Root rot
-
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
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Birds, Hummingbirds
Butterflies
Allergy
Headache, Pulmonary oedema, Respiratory distress, wheezing
Rash
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Improve skin tone, Making cosmetics, Moisturizing, Skin irritation
Good for skin
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent Soil Erosion, soil stabilisation
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Aphrodisiac, Diuretic
Antiulcerogenic, Diuretic, Hypotensive
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds
Leaves, Rhizomes
Other Uses
Oil is used as an industrial solvent, Used as Ornamental plant
Can be made into a herbal tea, Leaves used for wrapping zongi, Used to flavour noodles, Used to wrap mochi rice cakes
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Tropical
Container, Cutflower, Mixed Border, Screening / Wind Break, Tropical
Botanical Name
Ceiba pentandra
ALPINIA zerumbet
Common Name
Cotton Tree, Red Kapok, Red-silk-cotton Tree
Shell Ginger
In Hindi
सफ़ेद सेमल / शाल्मली
Shell Ginger
In German
Kapok baum
Shell Ginger
In French
Fromager
Shell Ginger
In Spanish
Ceiba
Shell jengibre
In Greek
Ceiba
Shell Τζίντζερ
In Portuguese
Mafumeira
Shell Ginger
In Polish
Puchowiec pięciopręcikowy
Shell Imbir
In Latin
Ceiba
Crusta Ginger
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Lilopsida
Order
Malvales
Zingiberales
Family
Bombacaceae
Zingiberaceae
Genus
Ceiba
Alpinia
Clade
Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
Alpinieae
Subfamily
-
Alpinioideae
Number of Species
10150
1
27800
👆🏻