''Bombax'' is a genus of mainly tropical trees in the

mallow family Malvaceae (), or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include cacao, cola, cotton, okra, roselle and durian. There are also some genera co ...

. They are native to western

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

, and the subtropical regions of

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

and northern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is distinguished from the genus ''

Ceiba ''Ceiba'' is a genus of trees in the family Malvaceae, native to Tropics, tropical and Subtropics, subtropical areas of the Americas (from Mexico and the Caribbean to northern Argentina) and tropical West Africa. Some species can grow to tall ...

'', which has whiter flowers. Common names for the genus include silk cotton tree, simal, red cotton tree, kapok, and simply bombax. Currently four species are recognised, although many plants have been placed in the genus that were later moved. The genus is best known for the species ''

Bombax ceiba ''Bombax ceiba'', like other trees of the genus ''Bombax'', is commonly known as cotton tree. More specifically, it is sometimes known as Malabar silk-cotton tree; red silk-cotton; red cotton tree; or ambiguously as silk-cotton or kapok, both of ...

'', which is widely cultivated throughout tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. It is native to southern and eastern

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

and northern

. ''Bombax'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species including the leaf-miner ''

Bucculatrix crateracma ''Bucculatrix crateracma'' is a moth in the family Bucculatricidae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1918 and is found in India. The larvae feed on ''Bombax ceiba ''Bombax ceiba'', like other trees of the genus ''Bombax'', is commonly kn ...

'' which feeds exclusively on ''

''. The tree appears on the flag of Equatorial Guinea. The tree fibers are 100% cellulose, able to float, impervious to water, and have a low thermal conductivity. Called Kapok in

, the fibers are mainly used for insulation in sleeping bags and life preservers. The fibers are also used as stuffing for pillows and mattresses.

Description

''Bombax'' species are among the largest

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

s in their regions, reaching 30 to 40 metres in height and up to three metres in trunk diameter. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are compound with entire margins and are

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

, being shed in the dry-season. They measure 30 to 50 cm across and are palmate in shape with five to nine leaflets. The

calyx CALYX, Inc. is a non-profit publisher of art and literature by women founded in 1976 based in Corvallis, Oregon. CALYX publishes both '' CALYX, A Journal of Art and Literature by Women'' twice a year and CALYX Books, which publishes one to three ...

is deciduous, meaning it does not persist on the fruits. They bear five to ten cm long red

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s between January and March while the tree is still leafless. The

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s are present in bundles in two whorls, while the staminal column lacks lobes. The

ovary The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/ oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are end ...

matures into a husk containing seeds covered by a fibre similar to that of the

kapok Kapok fibre is a cotton-like plant fibre obtained from the seed pods of a number of trees in the Malvaceae family, which is used for stuffing mattresses and pillows, for padding and cushioning, and as insulation. Kapok may also refer to: Plants ...

(''Ceiba pentandra'') and to

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

, though with shorter

fibre Fiber (spelled fibre in British English; from ) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorp ...

s than cotton, that does not lend itself to spinning, making it unusable as a textile product.

Species

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

'' currently (March 2024) includes:Plants of the World Online (POWO): ''Bombax'' L. (retrieved 30 March 2024)
/ref> # ''

Bombax albidum ''Bombax'' is a genus of mainly tropical trees in the mallow family. They are native to western Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and the subtropical regions of East Asia and northern Australia. It is distinguished from the genu ...

'' Gagnep. # ''

Bombax anceps ''Bombax anceps'' is a tree species now in the Malvaceae that was described by Jean Baptiste Louis Pierre from its range in Indochina. The subspecies ''B. a. cambodiense'' has been reverted to species ''Bombax cambodiense'' Pierre. Description ...

'' Pierre (syn. ''B. kerrii'' & ''B. valetonii'') # ''

Bombax blancoanum ''Bombax'' is a genus of mainly tropical trees in the mallow family. They are native to western Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and the subtropical regions of East Asia and northern Australia. It is distinguished from the genu ...

'' A.Robyns # ''

Bombax buonopozense ''Bombax buonopozense'', commonly known as the Gold Coast bombax or red-flowered silk cotton tree, is a tree in the mallow family. It is also known in the Dagbani language as ''Vabga'' (plural ''Vabsi''). It is native primarily in West Africa, ...

'' P. Beauv. # '' Bombax cambodiense'' Pierre # ''

'' L. (syn. ''B. thorelii'' Gagnep.) # '' Bombax costatum'' Pellegr. & Vuill. # '' Bombax insigne'' Wall. (syn. ''B. scopulorum'')

Formerly included species

* ''

Ceiba aesculifolia ''Ceiba aesculifolia'' is a tree belonging to the Malvaceae family. It can reach up to in height and has a thick trunk. In its juvenile stages, the trunk is covered with large, conical thorns. The fruit is a giant capsule that encloses its seed ...

'' (Kunth) Britten & Baker (as ''B. aesculifolium'' Kunth) * ''

Ceiba pentandra ''Ceiba pentandra'' is a tropical tree of the order (biology), order Malvales and the family (biology), family Malvaceae (previously emplaced in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, ...

'' (L.) Gaertn. (as ''B. pentandrum'' L.) * ''

Cochlospermum orinocense ''Cochlospermum'' is a genus of trees in the Bixaceae family; some classifications place this genus in the family Cochlospermaceae. It is native to tropical regions of the world, particularly Latin America, Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, and A ...

'' (Kunth) Steud. (as ''B. orinocense'' Kunth) * ''

Cochlospermum religiosum ''Cochlospermum religiosum'' is a flowering plant from the tropical region of Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. It is a small tree growing to a height of usually found in dry deciduous forests. The name ''religiosum'' derives from the ...

'' (L.) Alston (as ''B. gossypium'' L.) * ''

Cochlospermum vitifolium ''Cochlospermum vitifolium'' or ''rosa amarilla'' is a tree belonging to the family Bixaceae. It reaches up to in height and its leaves are deciduous. Its flowers are showy, yellow, solitary, and large, up to across. They resemble roses but do ...

'' (Willd.) Spreng. (as ''B. vitifolium'' Willd.) * ''

Ochroma pyramidale ''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as balsa, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma'', and is classified in the subfamily Bombacoideae of the mallow family Malvaceae. The tree is f ...

'' (Cav. ex Lam.) Urb. (as ''B. pyramidale'' Cav. ex Lam.) * ''

Pachira aquatica ''Pachira aquatica'' is a species of tropical wetland tree in the mallow family Malvaceae, native to Central and South America where it grows in swamps. It is known by its common names Malabar chestnut, French peanut, Guiana chestnut, provisio ...

'' Aubl. (as ''P. macrocarpum'' (Schltdl. & Cham.) K.Schum.) * ''

Pachira emarginata ''Pachira'' is a genus of tropical trees distributed in Central and South America. They are classified in the subfamily Bombacoideae of the family Malvaceae. Previously the genus was assigned to Bombacaceae. Prior to that the genus was found in ...

'' A.Rich. (as ''B. emarginata'' (A.Rich.) C.Wright) * ''

Pachira insignis ''Pachira insignis'' is a tree belonging to the Baobab Subfamily (Bombacoideae) of the Mallow Family (Malvaceae) and native to the tropics of South America and nearby islands (e.g. Trinidad). Its English common names include "wild chestnut" and ...

'' (Sw.) Savigny (as ''B. affine'' (Mart. & Zucc.) Ducke) * ''

Pseudobombax ellipticum ''Pseudobombax ellipticum'', with common names including shaving brush tree, Dr Seuss tree, and ''amapolla tree'', is a species of plant in the subfamily Bombacoideae of the family Malvaceae. Distribution The tree is native to southern Mexico, E ...

'' (Kunth) Dugand (as ''B. ellipticum'' Kunth) * ''

Pseudobombax grandiflorum ''Pseudobombax'' is a genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Bombacoideae of the family Malvaceae. The genus ranges across tropical South America, Central America, Mexico, Cuba, Hispaniola, and the Windward Islands."''Pseudobombax'' Dugand". ...

'' (Cav.) A.Robyns (as ''B. cyathophorum'' (Casar.) K.Schum.) * ''

Pseudobombax septenatum ''Pseudobombax septenatum'' is of the family Malvaceae, commonly known as Algodón de río, beldaco, ceibo barrigón, majagua colorada or barrigon. It is a deciduous tree up to in height which grows in semi-deciduous rainforest with a definite d ...

'' (Jacq.) Dugand (as ''B. heptaphyllum'' L.) * '' Rhodognaphalon mossambicense'' (A.Robyns) A.RobynsPlants of the World Online (POWO): ''Bombax mossambicense'' A.Robyns (retrieved 10 April 2020)
/ref> (as '' Bombax mossambicense'' A.Robyns)

References

External links

{{Authority control Malvaceae genera

Description

Species

Formerly included species

References

Further reading

External links