Malvaceae FAMILY

Ceiba insignis

Edibility

0/5

Medicinal

0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Ceiba insignis is a deciduous tree with a dense crown; it can grow up to 15 metres tall[ 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. ]. The bottle-shaped bole is swollen, it can be up to 2 metres in diameter and is often armed with spines[ 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. ]. The plant is often harvested from the wild for its many uses, particularly for the floss surrounding the seeds. The tree is also sometimes cultivated for this purpose and is often grown as an ornamental.

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeS. America - northern Peru, southern Ecuador.

HabitatDry valleys with semi-deciduous woodland[ 698 Title A Taxonomic Revision of the Genus Ceiba Publication Anales del Jardín Botánico de Madrid 60 (2) pp259 - 300 Author Gibbs P.; Semir J. Website http://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/fichero_articulo?codigo=762476&orden=78027 Publisher Anales del Jardín Botánico de Madrid Year 2003 ISBN Description A new treatment of the genus, which includes species previously in Chorisia. Available as a PDF file on the Internet. ].