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Ceiba speciosa
Malvaceae FAMILY

Ceiba speciosa

Ceiba speciosa

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
GrowthFast

A plant of the subtropics and warm temperate zones[1]. Prefers a rich, well-drained soil and a position in full sun[1]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[1]. Newly planted young trees grow away quickly, easily reaching a height of 5 - 6 metres within 2 years[2].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe. Sow the seed in a semi-shaded position in a nursery seedbed or individual containers, covering them with a thin layer of compost. Germination rates of 80% or more can be expected, with the seed sprouting within 5 - 8 days[2]. Transplant seedlings from the seedbed into individual containers when they are 5 - 6cm tall. Seedlings grow away quickly and should be ready to plant out into their permanent positions within 4 months[2]. Layers. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Ceiba+speciosa>

Pollinators

Butterflies

References

  1. [1]Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide. — Barwick. M. · Thames & Hudson, London · 2004 · ISBN 0-500-51181-0 ↩︎A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life.
  2. [2]Brazilian Trees. Volume 1. 4th Edition. — Lorenzi. H. · Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil. · 2002 · ISBN 85-86714-17-8 ↩︎Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
  3. [3]Useful Fiber Plants of the World — Dodge C.R. · USDA; Washington. · 1897 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ ↩︎A rather dated, but very comprehensive catalogue of fibre plants from around the world. The book can be downloaded from the Internet.
  4. [4]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.
  5. [5]Technical Information on 134 Species of Bolivian Woods — USDA Forest Service -- Forest Products Lab · USDA Forest Service · http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/publications/ ↩︎A PDF file, available for download. Exactly what the title says, brief and to the point.