Taxon: Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn.

Summary

Genus:

Ceiba

Family:

Malvaceae

Subfamily:

Bombacoideae

Nomen number:

9703

Place of publication:

Fruct. sem. pl. 2:244. 1791

Protologue link:

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/37208233

Verified:

10/06/2003 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

33 (1 active, 1 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Basionym
Bombax pentandrum L.

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Ceiba caribaea (DC.) A. Chev.
Ceiba casearia Medik.
Eriodendron anfractuosum DC.

Images (1 total. Click on image for more.)

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Angely, J. A. 1970-. Flora analítica e fitográfica do Estado de São Paulo.
APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1963-. Flore du Cameroun.
Boggan, J. et al. 1992. Checklist of the plants of the Guianas
Boutelje, J. B. 1980. Encyclopedia of world timbers, names and technical literature
Brink, M. & R. P. Escobin, eds. 2003. Fibre plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 17:99-103.
Burkill, H. M. 1985-2004. The useful plants of west tropical Africa.
Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago.
Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
Dodson, C. H. & A. H. Gentry. 1978. Flora of the Rio Palenque science center.
Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Duke, J. A. 1989. Handbook of Nuts CRC Press.
Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen 2:1286.
Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
Gibbs, P. & J. Semir. 2003. A taxonomic revision of the genus Ceiba Mill. (Bombacaceae). Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 60:259-300.
Gómez-Maqueo, X. & A. Gamboa-deBuen. 2022. The biology of the genus Ceiba, a potential source for sustainable production of natural fiber. Plants. OAJ. 11:521. DOI: 10.3390/plants11040521.
Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
Keay, R. W. J. 1989. Trees of Nigeria
León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). 1946-1969. Flora de Cuba
Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
Liogier, H. A. & L. F. Martorell. 1982. Flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands: a systematic synopsis.
Liogier, H. A. 1984-. Descriptive flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands.
Macbride, J. F. et al., eds. 1936-. Flora of Peru Note: 1936-1971; new ser. 1980-
Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
Pezzini F., F. et al. 2021. Phylogeny and biogeography of Ceiba Mill. (Malvaceae, Bombacoideae). Front. Biogeogr. 13:e49226. DOI: 10.21425/F5FBG49226.
Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Sartika, D. et al. 2021. Nanocrystalline cellulose from kapok fiber (Ceiba pentandra) and its reinforcement effect on alginate hydrogel bead. Starch/Stärke 73:2100033. DOI: 10.1002/star.202100033.
Shao, L. et al. . 2024. High-quality genomes of Bombax ceiba and Ceiba pentandra provide insights into the evolution of Malvaceae species and differences in their natural fiber development. Plant Communic. 5:100832. DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2024.100832. Note: cultivated samples were used to assemble a genome size of 1575.47 Mb
Sharma, B. D. et al., eds. 1993-. Flora of India.
Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
Standley, P. C. 1920. Trees and shrubs of Mexico. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 23:1-1721.
Steyermark, J. A. et al., eds. 1995-. Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana. Note: Missouri Botanical Garden & Timber Press
Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
Verheij, E. W. M. & R. E. Coronel, eds. 1991. Edible fruits and nuts. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 2:374.
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	kapok	1	Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
English	kapoktree	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
English	silk cottontree	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
English	white silk cottontree	1	Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
French	capoc	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
French	fromager	2	Burkill, H. M. 1985-2004. The useful plants of west tropical Africa.
French	kapokier	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
German	Kapokbaum	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
German	weißer Kapokbaum	2	Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen 2:1286.
Portuguese (Brazil)	samauma	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Portuguese (Brazil)	samauma-da-várzea	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Spanish	árbol capoc	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	ceiba	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	pochote	2	McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
Swedish	kapok	2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Tanzania			Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Uganda			Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Sudan
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Angola
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Malawi			Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Mozambique			Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Zambia			Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Benin
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Côte D'Ivoire
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Ghana
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Guinea-Bissau
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Mali
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Nigeria
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Senegal
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Sierra Leone
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Togo
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Burundi
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Cameroon			Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1963-. Flore du Cameroun.
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Democratic Republic of the Congo
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Gabon
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Rwanda
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	San Luis Potosí		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sonora		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Tamaulipas		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Colima		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Guerrero		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Jalisco		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Nayarit		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Yucatán		McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Acre
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Maranhão
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Pará
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Roraima
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Anguilla			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Antigua and Barbuda			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Barbados			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba			León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). 1946-1969. Flora de Cuba
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Dominica			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Dominican Republic
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Grenada			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Guadeloupe			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Haiti
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Jamaica			Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Martinique			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Montserrat			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Netherlands Antilles	Curacao
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Lucia			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Vincent and Grenadines			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Puerto Rico		Liogier, H. A. 1984-. Descriptive flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Virgin Islands (British)	Virgin Gorda
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Costa Rica
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama			Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	French Guiana
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Guyana
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Suriname
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Bolivia	Santa Cruz
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Colombia
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Peru	Huánuco
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Peru	Loreto
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Peru	Pasco
2	Cultivated					widely cult. elsewhere
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India			Brink, M. & R. P. Escobin, eds. 2003. Fibre plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 17:99-103.
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Cambodia			Brink, M. & R. P. Escobin, eds. 2003. Fibre plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 17:99-103.
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Thailand			Brink, M. & R. P. Escobin, eds. 2003. Fibre plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 17:99-103.
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Vietnam			Brink, M. & R. P. Escobin, eds. 2003. Fibre plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 17:99-103.
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia			Brink, M. & R. P. Escobin, eds. 2003. Fibre plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 17:99-103.
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Malaysia			Brink, M. & R. P. Escobin, eds. 2003. Fibre plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 17:99-103.
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Philippines			Brink, M. & R. P. Escobin, eds. 2003. Fibre plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 17:99-103.
4	Naturalized	Pacific	Northwestern Pacific	Marshall Islands			Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Pacific	Northwestern Pacific	United States	Guam		Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Pacific	South-Central Pacific	Cook Islands			Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Pacific	South-Central Pacific	French Polynesia			Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Pacific	Southwestern Pacific	Nauru			Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Pacific	Southwestern Pacific	Tonga			Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
6	Other					exact native range obscure	Gibbs, P. & J. Semir. 2003. A taxonomic revision of the genus Ceiba Mill. (Bombacaceae). Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 60:259-300.

Native
Africa

NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Sudan
EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Tanzania, Uganda
WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Rwanda
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Benin, Côte D'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia

Northern America

NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Tamaulipas]
SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Chiapas, Colima, Guerrero, Jalisco, Nayarit, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Yucatán]

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Anguilla, Netherlands Antilles [Curacao], Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Montserrat, Martinique, United States [Puerto Rico], St. Vincent and Grenadines, Virgin Islands (British) [Virgin Gorda]
CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador
NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
BRAZIL: Brazil [Acre, Maranhão, Pará, Roraima]
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia [Santa Cruz], Colombia, Ecuador, Peru [Huánuco, Loreto, Pasco]

Cultivated

REGION:

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India
INDO-CHINA: Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam
MALESIA: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines

Naturalized
Pacific

NORTHWESTERN PACIFIC: Marshall Islands, United States [Guam]
SOUTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: Cook Islands, French Polynesia
SOUTHWESTERN PACIFIC: Nauru, Tonga

Other (exact native range obscure)

Reference(s)

Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1963-. Flore du Cameroun.
Brink, M. & R. P. Escobin, eds. 2003. Fibre plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 17:99-103.
Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
Gibbs, P. & J. Semir. 2003. A taxonomic revision of the genus Ceiba Mill. (Bombacaceae). Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 60:259-300.
Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). 1946-1969. Flora de Cuba
Liogier, H. A. 1984-. Descriptive flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands.
McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Environmental	ornamental		Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
Environmental	ornamental		Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
Environmental	ornamental		Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
Environmental	ornamental		Standley, P. C. 1920. Trees and shrubs of Mexico. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 23:1-1721.
Environmental	shade/shelter		Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
Environmental	shade/shelter		Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
Environmental	shade/shelter		Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
Environmental	shade/shelter		Standley, P. C. 1920. Trees and shrubs of Mexico. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 23:1-1721.
Materials	chemicals	potential for cellulose and nanocellulose	Gómez-Maqueo, X. & A. Gamboa-deBuen. 2022. The biology of the genus Ceiba, a potential source for sustainable production of natural fiber. Plants. OAJ. 11:521. DOI: 10.3390/plants11040521.
Materials	chemicals	potential for cellulose and nanocellulose	Sartika, D. et al. 2021. Nanocrystalline cellulose from kapok fiber (Ceiba pentandra) and its reinforcement effect on alginate hydrogel bead. Starch/Stärke 73:2100033. DOI: 10.1002/star.202100033.
Materials	fiber		Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
Materials	fiber		Shao, L. et al. . 2024. High-quality genomes of Bombax ceiba and Ceiba pentandra provide insights into the evolution of Malvaceae species and differences in their natural fiber development. Plant Communic. 5:100832. DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2024.100832. Note: cultivated samples were used to assemble a genome size of 1575.47 Mb
Materials	fiber	fiber for filling pillows, life preserves and mattresses	Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
Materials	lipids	oil for soap	Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
Materials	lipids	oil for soap	Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
Medicines	folklore		Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Medicines	folklore		McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=9703. Accessed 15 April 2026.