The mighty kapok tree grows to a height of up to 70 metres. The trunk is covered with thorns of varying density. As it matures, the tree develops buttress roots several metres high.
The flowers are pollinated by bats. The fruits, which are 10 to 30 centimetres long, consist of leathery capsules filled with small black seeds. The seed hairs, which are up to four centimetres long, cannot be spun due to their thin walls. They contain 65 per cent cellulose, are smooth and water-repellent. In water, kapok fibres have a buoyancy thirty times their own weight (compared to three times for cork). Kapok fibres are therefore very well suited as insulation and padding material, as well as for the manufacture of lifebuoys and life jackets. Kapok fibres are also used in mattresses. The seeds also contain oil, which is used as lamp oil and in the manufacture of soaps. The Kapok tree is well suited for use as a shade tree in pepper plantations.
Distribution
South and Central America, and now also in Africa, Madagascar and South Asia
Use
fibres as stuffing material; fruit, seeds and seedlings as food; lamp oil
