57 Ceiba Tree Facts: The Plant Important To Mayan Culture

The ceiba tree, commonly known as the Kapok tree or silk cotton tree, is a deciduous tree of the mallow family.

Ceiba trees originated in Central and South America, but they have since spread to West Africa and Southeast Asia. Tropical rainforests are where you will find kapok trees.

Various species abound in the rainforest, serving a vital role in the ecosystem. Emergent trees like kapok grow above the rainforest canopy and provide a habitat for plants that require sunshine. Countless epiphytes thrive on their branches, providing food and shelter for various animals. They let animals wander freely around the rainforest without descending to the ground.

According to Mayans, this sacred tree represents life because they grow near good water sources. If someone were looking for a good place to live near water and saw a ceiba tree, they'd know there was water nearby.

Facts About The Ceiba Tree

The ceiba tree (pronounced 'SAY-ba') is a magnificent tropical tree with enormous limbs and an umbrella-shaped canopy brimming with aerial plants and several animal species.

Ceiba trees come in three varieties in our world. The first is a large tree with spiky thorns sprouting from its trunk that grows in tropical jungles.

A smaller tree with a smooth trunk grows on West African savannas as a second type. The third form is purposefully cultivated with low branches and a smooth trunk.

Kapok or Java kapok, Ceiba pentandra, is the most well-known and widely cultivated of the kapok family of trees.

Indian kapok, made from the simal cotton tree (Bombax malabarica), is similar to Java kapok in appearance but is more brownish-yellow in color and less robust. When submerged in water, it can only support 10 to 15 times its weight.

The Malvaceae (hibiscus or mallow) family includes cotton and produces tree cotton (bombax cotton) in Brazil and the West Indies. Ceiba, the genus name of Java kapok, is assumed to come from a Carib term that means 'dugout boat.'

Ceiba tree is named the national tree of Guatemala and is of utmost importance. La Ceiba de Palín Escuintla, Guatemala's most important ceiba, dates back over 400 years.

Kapok tree thrives in climates with 17-38 degrees C (63-100 degree F) yearly daytime temperatures but may even endure 12-40 degrees C (54-104 degree F).

When young, the ceiba is an astounding tree. It has a formidable appearance due to the huge thorns on its trunk. You'll be wondering why would ceiba tree has such dangerous-looking spikes? 

The root structure of the kapok tree has not fully grown when it is small, and having spikes keeps animals from injuring the semi-delicate growing trees.

When these ceiba trees reach maturity, they have a massive root system with what appears buttress that braces the tree.

The larvae of various Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) species eat ceiba species, including the leaf-miner Bucculatrix ceibae, which feeds entirely on the genus.

Kapoks do not blossom every year, and some might go for up to 10 years without blooming.

However, when the ceiba tree blooms, it is prolific and produces 4,000 fruits up to 6 in (15 cm) in length.

The fruit of the kapok tree came floating from Latin America to Africa.

Cultivated kapok is thought to be a natural hybrid of two kinds native to tropical America and West Africa, respectively.

It's been grown in the vicinity of villages and temples for centuries, both for its various functions and as an aesthetic tree.

It takes at least seven years for a ceiba tree to mature and produce its first seed pods.

Many kinds of monkeys, birds, frogs, and insects find food and refuge in the kapok tree.

Some frogs reproduce in the shallow pools of water collected in the ceiba tree's bromeliads (tropical plants with short stems).

Malvalic acid (7–8%) and sterculic acid (3%) are cyclopropenoid fatty acids found in the seeds and oil, which produce aberrant physiological reactions in animals. As a result, consuming kapok seeds or seed oil should be avoided unless the cyclopropenoid acids have been chemically eliminated.

Kapok fiber irritates the eyes, nose, and throat, and long-term exposure to kapok dust can lead to chronic bronchitis.

Life Cycle Of The Ceiba Tree

The kapok tree is a fast-growing tree that bears fruit in four to five years. Yields increase for around eight years, and it has a 60-year economic lifespan. Under ideal conditions, a tree can produce 330-400 fruits each year, yielding 33-40 lb (15-18 kg) of fiber and roughly 66 lb (30 kg) of seeds.

Ceiba trees grow in medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and require well-drained soil. The tree grows best in mildly acidic, neutral, and basic (mildly alkaline) soils, but it can also grow in very acidic, very alkaline, and saline soils.

It needs either moist soil or dry soil. The plants are not wind-tolerant.

Ceiba tree is a fast-growing deciduous tree with a diameter of 5-8 ft (1. 5-2.5 m) above its buttresses and a height of 80 ft (25 m) or more.

The buttresses can reach 10 ft (3 m) in height and extend 10 ft (3 m) from the main core.

Some ceiba species can reach heights of up to 230 ft (70 m), with a straight, almost branchless trunk that ends in a massive canopy and roots that can be as tall as a fully grown adult person.

The leaves are complex, with 5-8 in (13-20 cm) long lance-shaped leaflets.

When the ceiba tree is leafless, the flowers grow, making it easier for bats to feed on the sugary nectar of the kapok flower.

In doing so, the bats unintentionally pollinate the flowers of the trees.

The nectar production of the flower is abundant. The nectar production is around 10 l (2.6 gals) and 200 l (53 gals) during the season when they grow.

The ceiba tree produces numerous five-part whitish to pink flowers in tight clusters from December to February, blossoming before the leaves grow.

The ceiba tree yields elliptical fruits that are 36 in (92 cm) long. Many seeds are encased in a dense layer of silky fibers in the fruit. Ceiba tree's common name comes from the silky fibers that fall from the tree when the fruit ripens.

Seed pods include fluffy, yellowish threads that aid in seed dissemination by the wind.

Sometimes referred to as silk cotton, the kapok fibers, in which over 200 seeds are loosely embedded, are yellowish-brown, light, and shiny.

When harvesting kapok fibers, the pods are either cut off as they fall or collected and knocked open with a mallet.

The seeds and fibers removed from the shells by hand are stirred in a basket. The seeds fall to the ground and release the fibers.

Importance Of The Ceiba Tree To Mayans

In Central America, ceiba trees had great symbolic importance to the ancient Maya. The name of the ceiba trees in the Mayan language is Yax Che ('Green Tree' or 'First Tree').

The ceiba tree variety is loved and admired by the Maya, especially the species that grow in various rainforest habitats.

As a small tree, it grows quickly, reaching heights of 6.5-13 ft (2-4 m) per year. The tree's massive trunk can grow to be up to 10 ft (3 m) wide and has no bottom branches.

As per Maya Mythology, the kapok tree was considered a sacred tree and symbolic representation of the planet.

Mayans thought that only the topmost branches of the kapok tree could transport souls to paradise.

The trunk of this sacred tree is believed to represent the centermost world where humans thrive, and its branches reach the sky representing the universe.

Applications Of The Ceiba Tree

Humans can benefit from the gorgeous kapok tree in a variety of ways. People cultivate the kapok tree mainly as a source of fine fibers and wood. Its wood is light and porous, making it suitable for carvings, coffins, and dugout canoes.

The seed has the potential to be utilized as a biofuel (eco-friendly type of fuel).

Ceiba trees generate a lot of honey and are also beneficial for soil erosion and watershed protection.

It's been used in agroforestry to give shade for coffee and cocoa plants, and it's also been utilized in Java to support pepper plants.

Ceiba is used in iceboxes, refrigerators, cold storage plants, workplaces, theaters, and airplanes as a thermal insulator.

It's a good sound absorber and a frequent acoustic insulation material.

While kapok doesn't hold screws or nails well, wood can be used to make various wood products, including paper. Locals have long used kapok logs to carve canoes.

Kapok is also used as a filler for pillows, fill mattresses, upholstery, insulating material, and an alternative to absorbent cotton in surgery.

Kapok fibers are water-resistant, quick-drying, resilient, and buoyant. Lignin, a woody plant substance, and cellulose, a carbohydrate, are both found in the fibers.

The inelastic fiber, often known as floss, is too brittle to spin but only weighs one-eighth the weight of cotton.

The floss can endure up to 30 times its weight in water and has been used in life preservers and other water-safety equipment.

The bark of the kapok tree is used in the construction of hut walls and doors. The bark of the tree yields gum and a reddish-brown dye.

The fiber is harvested by Amazon tribes to wrap around their blowgun projectiles. The fibers form a seal, allowing the dart to pass through the tube under pressure.

Do you know?

In general, kapok is used to treat fever, spasms, and bleeding. The bark decoction is used to treat headaches and diabetes.

Kapok seeds can be eaten raw or cooked. The seeds are first roasted on heat and can be grounded into a fine powder).

Tender leaves, fruits, and buds are edible and can be eaten if cooked properly.

The flowers of the kapok tree are blanched and eaten with chili sauce, while dried stamens are added to curries and soups.