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Malvaceae
Silk Floss Tree
Ceiba speciosa
Beauty in defense, exotic strength, motherhood.
- Family
- Malvaceae
- Genus
- Ceiba
- Native to
- Tropical and subtropical South America
- Bloom season
- Fall, Winter
- Type
- Deciduous tropical tree
- Height
- 10–25 m
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil
- Well-drained
- Water
- Low to moderate
- Hardiness
- 9–11
- Lifespan
- Long-lived
Did you know
- The trunk of the silk floss tree is covered in thick, vicious conical spines that can grow several inches long — giving the tree its other name, 'palo borracho' or 'drunken stick'.
- The trunk also bulges in the middle like a bottle, storing water — an adaptation to the seasonal droughts of its native South American forests.
- After the spectacular pink flowers fade, the tree produces large green fruits that split open to release seeds packed in masses of silky white floss — historically used as kapok-like stuffing for pillows.
- It's one of the most popular street and park trees of Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the autumn flowering turns whole neighborhoods pink.
- The silk floss tree is closely related to the giant kapok trees of the Amazon and to the equally spiny and exotic baobabs of Africa.
Color meanings
Pink
Tender ferocity