In full sun, the kapok can grow up to 4 metres (13 feet) per year, eventually reaching a height of 50 metres (164 feet). The kapok tree, or Ceiba pentandra, is sometimes described as majestic, growing to a towering 150 feet. Announcing our NEW encyclopedia for Kids! The kapok’s huge buttressed trunk tapers upward to an almost horizontal, spreading crown where large, compound leaves are made up of five to eight long, narrow leaflets. Behavioral Adaptation: White and pink flowers make an odor that attracts bats, which, How Does it Feel To Be A Kapok Tree in the Amazon? Originally from the rainforests of the South America, it has spread to West Africa, the Southeast Asian rainforests, and the Indonesian archipelago. In doing so, the bats unwittingly pollinate the tree’s flowers. when moving from flower to flower, facilitate the pollen. Due to its extreme height, the kapok, or ceiba tree, towers over the other rainforest vegetation. Although kapok wood does not hold screws or nails well, the timber is used for a variety of wood products, including paper. The soft, buoyant, lustrous floss is yellowish white in colour and is made up of individual fibres that are about 1 to 3 cm (0.375 to 1.12…, Natural fibre, any hairlike raw material directly obtainable from an animal, vegetable, or mineral source and convertible into nonwoven fabrics such as felt or paper or, after spinning into yarns, into woven cloth. The trunk can expand to nine or 10 feet in diameter.
The fibres contain both lignin, a woody plant substance, and cellulose, a carbohydrate.

This article was most recently revised and updated by, kapok - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). The seeds may be processed to obtain oil for making soap, and the residue is used as fertilizer and cattle feed. The Rainforest Alliance is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 13-3377893. The seed and fibre, removed from the pods by hand, are stirred in a basket; the seeds fall to the bottom, leaving the fibres free. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. The silky fibers that disperse the seeds are too small for weaving but make great stuffing for bedding and life preservers. Help conserve forests and restore balance to our planet, © Copyright 1987 - 2020, Rainforest Alliance. The leaves of some plants and trees are adapted to catch rain as it falls and hold it. The flowers of these trees are often found to bloom in early spring, where the flower is about 2 to 5cm bearing about five pure white petals and stamens which are yellow. For example, some trees, such as the kapok, grow very tall because of the competition for sunlight. The fibres, in which over 200 seeds are loosely embedded, is sometimes referred to as silk cotton and is yellowish brown, lightweight, and lustrous. Make your gift go further (and greener) with a monthly pledge, In 2019, 81% Indian kapok, floss from the simal cotton tree (Bombax malabarica), native to India, has many of the qualities of the Java type but is more brownish yellow in colour and less resilient. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).

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