Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Tree
Flowering Plants
Origin
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, China, Melanesia, Australia
North America
Types
Ceiba casearia, Bombax pentandrum
Helianthus annuus, Heliantheae,
Habitat
Tropical regions
Dry areas, Open areas, Prairies
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-15
3-10
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
Upright/Erect
Flower Color
Red, Orange Red
Brown, Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown
Black, Chocolate, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Dark Green, Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Not Available
Not Available
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer
Sunlight
Full Sun
Bright direct sunlight
Growth Rate
Medium
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Dry, Light, Well drained
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Late Winter
Early Fall, Early Summer, Fall, Late Spring, Late Summer, Summer
Tolerances
Drought
Not Available
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Keep the ground moist but not water-logged, 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 pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Dry, Light, Well drained
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Bright direct sunlight
Pruning
Prune when young, Remove dead branches
Prune ocassionally, Requires little pruning
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacterial leaf spot, Red blotch, Root rot
Alternaria leaf blight, Apical chlorosis, Bacteria wilt, Bacterial leaf spot, Botrytis head rot, Charcoal rot, Crown gall, Downy mildew, Erwinia stalk rot, Fusarium stalk rot, Fusarium wilt, head rot, Phialophora yellows, Stem spot
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Soil Compaction
Drought
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Attracts
Bees, Birds, Hummingbirds
Birds, Butterflies
Allergy
Headache, Pulmonary oedema, Respiratory distress, wheezing
Runny nose, Red eyes, Watery eyes, Sore eyes, Itchy eyes
Aesthetic Uses
Not Used For Aesthetic Purpose
Beautification, Bouquets, Showy Purposes, Used for decorating walls, fences, gates, hedges, etc.
Beauty Benefits
Improve skin tone, Making cosmetics, Moisturizing, Skin irritation
Not Available
Environmental Uses
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent Soil Erosion, soil stabilisation
Air purification
Medicinal Uses
Aphrodisiac, Diuretic
Pulmonary afflictions
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds
Flowers, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
Oil is used as an industrial solvent, Used as Ornamental plant
As Fertilizers, Economic Purpose, Oil is used in perfume, soaps, creams, etc., Showy Purposes, Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for producing cooking oil
Used As Indoor Plant
No
Yes
Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes
Yes
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Tropical
Bedding Plant, Bonsai, Container, Edging, Edible, Feature Plant, Houseplant, Vegetable
Botanical Name
Ceiba pentandra
Helianths Annuus
Common Name
Cotton Tree, Red Kapok, Red-silk-cotton Tree
Sunflower
In Hindi
सफ़ेद सेमल / शाल्मली
Sūrajamukhī
In German
Kapok baum
Sonnenblume
In French
Fromager
Tournesol
In Greek
Ceiba
ηλιοτρόπιο
In Portuguese
Mafumeira
Girassol
In Polish
Puchowiec pięciopręcikowy
słonecznik
In Latin
Ceiba
Helianthus
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Family
Bombacaceae
Asteraceae
Clade
Eudicots, Rosids
Not Available
Tribe
Not Available
Heliantheae
Subfamily
Not Available
Helianthodeae
Importance of Kapok and Sunflower
Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Kapok and Sunflower. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Kapok and Sunflower as they differ in many characteristics such as their life, care, benefits, facts, etc. Every gardener must at least have the slightest clue about the plants he wants to plant in his garden. Compare their benefits, which differ in many ways like facts and uses. The medicinal use of Kapok is Aphrodisiac and Diuretic whereas of Sunflower is Pulmonary afflictions. Kapok has beauty benefits as follows: Improve skin tone, Making cosmetics, Moisturizing and Skin irritation while Sunflower has beauty benefits as follows: Improve skin tone, Making cosmetics, Moisturizing and Skin irritation.
Compare Facts of Kapok vs Sunflower
How to choose the best garden plant for your garden depending upon its facts? Here garden plant comparison will help you to solve this query. Compare the facts of Kapok vs Sunflower and know which one to choose. As garden plants have benefits and other uses, allergy is also a major drawback of plants for some people. Allergic reactions of Kapok are Headache, Pulmonary oedema, Respiratory distress and wheezing whereas of Sunflower have Runny nose, Red eyes, Watery eyes, Sore eyes and Itchy eyes respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Kapok has showy fruits and Sunflower has no showy fruits. Also Kapok is not flowering and Sunflower is flowering. You can compare Kapok and Sunflower facts and facts of other plants too.