Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Palm or Cycad
Tree
Origin
United States, Southeastern United States
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, China, Melanesia, Australia
Types
Rhapidophyllum hystrix
Ceiba casearia, Bombax pentandrum
Number of Varieties
1510
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cold Regions, Subtropical climates
Tropical regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
6-109-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-6
12-7
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 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
H1, H2, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
180.00 cm1,830.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm1,830.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Light Yellow, Lavender
Red, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Dark Red, Brown, Sienna
Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Needle like
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Partial Sun, Partial shade, Full Shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Slow
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer
Early Spring, Late Winter
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Wet Site, Drought, Soil Compaction
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs small amount of water
Average Water Needs
In Summer
Lots of watering
Moderate
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Partial Sun, Partial shade, Full Shade
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune to control growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune when young, Remove dead branches
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, can go long without fertilizers
Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Bacterial leaf spot, Red blotch, Root rot
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate, Frost
Drought, Soil Compaction
Flowers
Insignificant
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
Rabbits, Small mammals
Bees, Birds, Hummingbirds
Allergy
drowsiness, Scratches
Headache, Pulmonary oedema, Respiratory distress, wheezing
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
bank hedging, Ornamental use
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Improve skin tone, Making cosmetics, Moisturizing, Skin irritation
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Ethnobotanic
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent Soil Erosion, soil stabilisation
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Aging, Frostbite
Aphrodisiac, Diuretic
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Leaves, Seeds
Other Uses
Application in Handicrafts, Showy Purposes
Oil is used as an industrial solvent, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Tropical
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Tropical
Botanical Name
RHAPIDOPHYLLUM hystrix
Ceiba pentandra
Common Name
Needle Palm, Porcupine plant
Cotton Tree, Red Kapok, Red-silk-cotton Tree
In Hindi
सुई ताड़
सफ़ेद सेमल / शाल्मली
In German
Nadel -Palme
Kapok baum
In French
palmier aiguille
Fromager
In Spanish
palmera aguja
Ceiba
In Greek
βελόνα φοίνικα
Ceiba
In Portuguese
palmeira agulha
Mafumeira
In Polish
Igła palma
Puchowiec pięciopręcikowy
In Latin
acus palma
Ceiba
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Arecales
Malvales
Family
Arecaceae
Bombacaceae
Genus
Rhapidophyllum
Ceiba
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Corypheae
-
Subfamily
Coryphoideae
-
Number of Species
1010
1
27800
👆🏻