OTHER COMMON NAMES: Java Cotton, Java Kapok, Silk-Cotton, Samauma, Ceiba
DIMENSIONS & CHARACTERISTICS: The Kapok tree can grow to up to 230 feet, with a trunk 10 feet in diameter. It has buttressed roots, and the larger branches as well as the trunk often have thorns. It's leaves are comprised of 5-9 leaflets, each of which is up to eight inches long. The tree produces hundreds of tree pods, each of which is six inches and contains seeds cocooned within a fluffy fiber with a pale yellow color.
USES: Due to it's light, water-resistant, and buoyant nature, kapok fiber is used for a variety of objects. It is often used to stuff mattresses, stuffed animals, and pillows. Until it was recently replaced by synthetic fibers, it was also used to fill life-jackets. The seeds also provide an oil that is used in fertilizers, used as vegetable oil, and used in soap. Locally, it is used by Native tribes along the Amazon to wrap their blow-darts, as the fiber creates pressure that allows the dart to fire. Chemicals from Kapok bark have also been used to aid in curing headaches.
FACTS: The Kapok is the national emblem of Guatemala and Puerto Rico. In Equitorial Guinea, it appears on the coat of arms, state flag, and in addition is the national emblem. It is also present in folklore; in Maya mythology it is a sacred symbol and in the mythology of Trinidad and Tobago, the "Castle of the Devil" is a giant kapok tree growing in the forests of Brazil. It is said that a carpenter imprisoned the demon of death in the tree.
DIMENSIONS & CHARACTERISTICS: The Kapok tree can grow to up to 230 feet, with a trunk 10 feet in diameter. It has buttressed roots, and the larger branches as well as the trunk often have thorns. It's leaves are comprised of 5-9 leaflets, each of which is up to eight inches long. The tree produces hundreds of tree pods, each of which is six inches and contains seeds cocooned within a fluffy fiber with a pale yellow color.
USES: Due to it's light, water-resistant, and buoyant nature, kapok fiber is used for a variety of objects. It is often used to stuff mattresses, stuffed animals, and pillows. Until it was recently replaced by synthetic fibers, it was also used to fill life-jackets. The seeds also provide an oil that is used in fertilizers, used as vegetable oil, and used in soap. Locally, it is used by Native tribes along the Amazon to wrap their blow-darts, as the fiber creates pressure that allows the dart to fire. Chemicals from Kapok bark have also been used to aid in curing headaches.
FACTS: The Kapok is the national emblem of Guatemala and Puerto Rico. In Equitorial Guinea, it appears on the coat of arms, state flag, and in addition is the national emblem. It is also present in folklore; in Maya mythology it is a sacred symbol and in the mythology of Trinidad and Tobago, the "Castle of the Devil" is a giant kapok tree growing in the forests of Brazil. It is said that a carpenter imprisoned the demon of death in the tree.