The Bombacaceae Family

Rare & Unusual Tropical Trees & Plants, Flowering, Fruit, Native, Palm, Bamboo, Heliconia, Hummingbird, Butterfly

The Bombacaceae Family

October 6, 2013 Flowering Trees 0

The Bombacaceae family, commonly called the Bombax or Kapok family is comprised of 30 genera and 250 species of tropical trees, many of them deciduous.  Ceiba pentandra (The Kapok Tree) is the tallest, as it can attain a height of 70m.  Some members of this family are commercially important for their timber, fruit and fibers, and the Balsa tree has the softest wood and has many uses for its light weight wood.  Most of the trees in this family are very large with showy flowers and are commonly found in the S. Florida landscape.  Several can be purchased at Richard Lyons’ Nursery in Miami. These include:

Adansonia digitata (Baobab Tree)

Bombax Ceiba (Red or Orange Bombax)

Ceiba pentandra (Kapok Tree)

Ceiba schottii (Vanilla Kapok Tree)

Ceiba speciosa (Silk Cotton Tree) Syn. Chorisia speciosa

Pachira aquatic (Guiana Chestnut)

Pseudobombax ellipticum (Shaving Brush Tree)