Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Tree
Tree
Origin
New Zealand
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, China, Melanesia, Australia
Types
Metrosideros excelsa
Ceiba casearia, Bombax pentandrum
Number of Varieties
810
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Coastal Regions, hedge rows, Woodlands
Tropical regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-129-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
12-7
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 16, 17, 23, 24
H1, H2, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
910.00 cm1,830.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
610.00 cm1,830.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Crimson
Red, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown, Sandy Brown
Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Dark Green, Gray
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green, Gray
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green, Gray
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green, Gray
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Acicular
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer
Early Spring, Late Winter
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought, Salt
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires regular watering
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
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune when young, Remove dead branches
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Bacterial leaf spot, Red blotch, Root rot
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought, Soil Compaction
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
Medium
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Hummingbirds
Bees, Birds, Hummingbirds
Allergy
-
Headache, Pulmonary oedema, Respiratory distress, wheezing
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Used as Christmas tree, Used for making hedges
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Improve skin tone, Making cosmetics, Moisturizing, Skin irritation
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent Soil Erosion, soil stabilisation
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent, Dysentry
Aphrodisiac, Diuretic
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Wood
Leaves, Seeds
Other Uses
Application in Furniture
Oil is used as an industrial solvent, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Screening / Wind Break, Shade Trees, Street Trees, Tropical
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Tropical
Botanical Name
METROSIDEROS excelsa
Ceiba pentandra
Common Name
New Zealand Christmas Tree, Pohutukawa
Cotton Tree, Red Kapok, Red-silk-cotton Tree
In Hindi
pohutukawa
सफ़ेद सेमल / शाल्मली
In German
pohutukawa
Kapok baum
In French
pohutukawa
Fromager
In Spanish
pohutukawa
Ceiba
In Greek
pohutukawa
Ceiba
In Portuguese
pohutukawa
Mafumeira
In Polish
pohutukawa
Puchowiec pięciopręcikowy
In Latin
pohutukawa
Ceiba
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Myrtales
Malvales
Family
Myrtaceae
Bombacaceae
Genus
Metrosideros
Ceiba
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
1210
1
27800
👆🏻