''Ceiba ventricosa'', known as the barriguda tree, is a species of tree in the

Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ...

family. It is a tropical and evergreen species native to the Atlantic rainfrests of

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. It can reach a height of 26 meters, and the bole can grow to a diameter of 60 centimeters. The species was described by

Pedro Felix Ravenna Pierfelice (Pedro Félix, Pierre Félice) Ravenna (born 1938) is a Chilean botanist of Italian Jewish origin. His research interests are mainly in the field of South American Amaryllidaceae.Ravenna P. 1974 Pierfelice Ravenna: an autobiography. Pl ...

in 1998.

Uses

The timber is harvested, but is of low quality. The wood is used by the

Aimoré The Aimoré ''(Aymore, Aimboré)'' are one of several South American peoples of eastern Brazil called Botocudo in Portuguese (from ''botoque'', a plug), in allusion to the wooden disks or tembetás worn in their lips and ears. Some called thems ...

people of Brazil as a wooden plug or disk which is worn in the lower lip and the lobe of the ear.

References

{{Taxonbar ventricosa Flora of Brazil Plants described in 1998