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Bombax costatum
Malvaceae FAMILY

Bombax costatum

Bombax costatum

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
Growth—

Prefers a humus-rich, loamy soil and a position in full sun[1]. Grows well on stony soils[2]. The tuberous roots act as water and/or sugar storage facilities during long drought periods[2]. Trees have a thick, corky bark and are very resistant to fire[2, 3, 4]. Plants begin flowering and fruiting, according to site and conditions, from the sixth year on, but very irregularly[2]. They usually flower in the dry season[5]. Unfortunately many trees are unproductive of seedfloss owing to fire-damage at the critical time of flowering in the dry season[3]. A mature tree bears up to 1,500 fruits each year with a total yield of 5 - 8 kg of kapok. Under favourable conditions, 3 - 5 kg kapok per tree can be obtained from the 10th year onwards[2]. An important bee forage species[2].

Propagation

Direct seeding is a preferred propagation mode, however wildlings may also be used[2]. The seedlings are difficult to plant in spite of their vigorous rooting ability. Natural regeneration is easy and abundant when the plants are sufficiently protected against fire and livestock[2]. Cuttings root easily[4]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Bombax+costatum>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  3. [3]The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. — Burkil. H. M. · Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. · 1985 - 2004 ↩︎Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
  4. [4]Trees and Shrubs of the Sahel. Their Characteristics and Uses. — von Maydell H. · Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit; Germany · 1990 · ISBN 3-8236-1198-4 ↩︎A well-researched book, usually with more than one photograph of each species and good information on the plant and its uses.
  5. [5]Traditional Vegetables in Benin — Achigan-Dako E. Et al · Darwin Initiative; International Foundation for Science · 2009 ↩︎Issued as a PDF on the Internet, it contains basic information on over 250 species of plants used for food in Benin.
  6. [6]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  7. [7]CosIng — http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/ ↩︎CosIng is the European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients.