Ceiba pentandra 0008.jpg

''Ceiba'' is a genus of trees in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas (from Mexico and the Caribbean to N Argentina) and tropical West Africa. Some species can grow to tall or more, with a straight, largely branchless trunk that culminates in a huge, spreading canopy, and buttress roots that can be taller than a grown person. The best-known, and most widely cultivated, species is Kapok, '' Ceiba pentandra'', one of several trees called kapok.

''Ceiba'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera ( butterfly and moth) species, including the leaf-miner '' Bucculatrix ceibae'', which feeds exclusively on the genus.

Recent botanical opinion incorporates ''Chorisia'' within ''Ceiba'' and puts the genus as a whole within the family Malvaceae.A TAXONOMIC REVISION OF THE GENUS CEIBA MILL.(2003)
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Culture and history

The tree plays an important part in the mythologies of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures. In addition, several Amazonian tribes of eastern Peru believe deities live in Ceiba tree species throughout the jungle. The Ceiba, or ya’axché (in the Mopan Mayan language), symbolised to the Maya civilization an axis mundi which connects the planes of the Underworld ( Xibalba) and the sky with that of the terrestrial realm. This concept of a central world tree is often depicted as a Ceiba trunk. The unmistakable thick conical thorns in clusters on the trunk were reproduced by the southern lowland Maya of the Classical Period on cylindrical ceramic burial urns or incense holders.

Modern Maya still often respectfully leave the tree standing when harvesting forest timber. The Ceiba tree is represented by a cross and serves as an important architectural motif in the Temple of the Cross Complex at Palenque.

Ceiba Tree Park is located in San Antón, in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Its centerpiece is the historic Ceiba de Ponce, a 500-year-old '' Ceiba pentandra'' tree associated with the founding of the city. In the surroundings of the legendary Ceiba de Ponce, broken pieces of indigenous pottery, shells, and stones were found to confirm the presence of Taino Indians long before the Spaniards that later settled in the area. In 1525, Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés ordered the hanging of Aztec emperor Cuauhtemoc from a ''Ceiba'' tree after overtaking his empire. The town of Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas, Mexico was founded in 1528 by the Spanish around La Pochota, ''Ceiba pentandra'', according to tradition. Founded in 1838, the Puerto Rican town of Ceiba is also named after this tree. The Honduran city of La Ceiba founded in 1877 was named after a particular ''Ceiba'' tree that grew down by the old docks. In 1898, the Spanish Army in Cuba surrendered to the United States under a ''Ceiba'', which was named the Santiago Surrender Tree, outside of Santiago de Cuba.

''Ceiba'' is also the national tree of Guatemala. The most important Ceiba in Guatemala is known as La Ceiba de Palín Escuintla which is over 400 years old. In Caracas, Venezuela there is a 100-year-old ceiba tree in front of the San Francisco Church known as La Ceiba de San Francisco and is an important element in the history of the city. The towering specimen near the town of Sabalito, Costa Rica, is a Relict (biology), relict tree called "la ceiba" by residents and a survivor of one of the highest terrestrial rates of tropical deforestation.

''Ceiba pentandra'' produces a light and strong fiber (Ceiba pentandra, kapok) used throughout history to fill mattresses, pillows, tapestries, and dolls. Kapok has recently been replaced in commercial use by synthetic fibers. The Ceiba tree seed is used to extract oils used to make soap and fertilizers. The Ceiba continues to be commercialized in Asia, especially in Java, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

''Ceiba pentandra'' is the central theme in the book titled, The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry. ''Ceiba insignis'' and ''Ceiba speciosa'' are added to some versions of the hallucinogenic drink Ayahuasca.

Pablo Antonio Cuadra, a Nicaraguan poet, wrote a chapter about the Ceiba tree. He used it as a symbol of the Nicaraguan ancestral roots, a cradle for the nation, and source during the people's exile.

Species

There are 20 accepted species:"''Ceiba'' Mill.". ''Plants of the World Online'', Kew Science. Accessed 26 August 2021

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* ''Ceiba acuminata'' (S.Watson) Rose Mexico and Honduras
* ''Ceiba aesculifolia'' (Carl Sigismund Kunth, Kunth) James Britten, Britten & Edmund Gilbert Baker, Baker f. Mexico to Costa Rica
* ''Ceiba boliviana'' James Britten, Britten & Edmund Gilbert Baker, Baker f. southern Peru to Bolivia
* ''Ceiba chodatii'' (Emil Hassler, Hassl.) Pedro Felix Ravenna, Ravenna southeastern Bolivia to Paraguay and northern Argentina
* ''Ceiba crispiflora'' (Carl Sigismund Kunth, Kunth) Ravenna Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais states in southeastern Brazil
* ''Ceiba erianthos'' (Antonio José Cavanilles, Cav.) Karl Moritz Schumann, K. Schum. eastern Brazil
* ''Ceiba glaziovii'' (Otto Kuntze, Kuntze) K. Schum. northeastern Brazil
* ''Ceiba insignis'' (Carl Sigismund Kunth, Kunth) P. E. Gibbs & Semir southern Ecuador and northern Peru
* ''Ceiba jasminodora'' (Augustin Saint-Hilaire, A. St.-Hil.) K. Schum. Serra do Espinhaço in southeastern Brazil
* ''Ceiba lupuna'' P. E. Gibbs & Semir northwestern Brazil and Peru
* '' Ceiba pentandra'' (Carl Linnaeus, L.) Joseph Gaertner, Gaertn. Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, and northern south America
* ''Ceiba pubiflora'' (Augustin Saint-Hilaire, A. St.-Hil.) Karl Moritz Schumann, K. Schum. northeastern Brazil to Argentina's Misiones province
* ''Ceiba rubriflora'' Carv.-Sobr. & L.P.Queiroz eastern Brazil
* ''Ceiba salmonea'' (Ulbr.) Bakh. Peru
* ''Ceiba samauma'' (Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, Mart.) K. Schum. Amazonia to Paraguay
* ''Ceiba schottii'' Britten & Baker f. southeastern Mexico and Guatemala
* ''Ceiba soluta'' (Donn. Sm.) Ravenna Guatemala
* ''Ceiba speciosa'' (Augustin Saint-Hilaire, A. St.-Hil.) Ravenna Amazonia to Paraguay
* ''Ceiba trischistandra'' (Asa Gray, A. Gray) Reinier Cornelis Bakhuizen van den Brink (born 1881), Bakh. western Ecuador and northwestern Peru
* ''Ceiba ventricosa'' (Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck, Nees & Mart.) Ravenna eastern Brazil

Gallery

File:Ceiba Sapling 02.JPG, Ceiba tree at O Parks, WildLife, and Recreation, El Ostional, Nicaragua
File:Ceiba Sapling 01.JPG, Ceiba tree at O Parks, WildLife, and Recreation, El Ostional, Nicaragua
File:LaPochotaChiapa1.jpg, ''Ceiba pentandra'' found in the center plaza of Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas, Mexico.
File:Bombax LalBagh.JPG, ''Ceiba pentandra'' in Lal Bagh gardens in Bangalore (Bengaluru), India
File:CeibaTreePeru02.jpg, Buttress roots of a ''Ceiba'' tree near the bank of the Amazon River, Amazon close to Iquitos, Peru.
File:P5050265.02w.jpg, Flower of Palo Borracho, Cordoba, Argentina
File:Flordepaineiraabelha.jpg, Flower of ''Ceiba speciosa'', Paineira rosa, São Paulo, Brazil
File:Paineiraespinhuda.JPG, Trunk of ''Ceiba speciosa'' (Paineira rosa), São Paulo, Brazil
File:Arvoepaineirabranca2.jpg, ''Ceiba graviozii'', (paineira branca), São Paulo, Brazil
File:Brancaspaineiradetail.jpg, Paineira branca flower, São Paulo, Brazil
File:Frutospaineira.jpg, Fruits, São Paulo, Brazil
File:Frutospaina.jpg, Fruits, São Paulo, Brazil
File:Cebia speciosa X C insignis open at 1006pm 14nov08.jpg, ''Ceiba speciosa'' × ''C. insignis'', a Huntington seedling flower, San Marino, California
File:Ceiba-2.jpg, ''Ceiba speciosa'' in Lahore
File:Ceiba-3.jpg, ''Ceiba speciosa'' in Lahore
File:美人樹 Ceiba speciosa 20201006185617.jpg, Ceiba speciosa, white flowers
File:美人樹 Ceiba speciosa 20201105081642 01.jpg, Two-color Ceiba speciosa

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q284019

Ceiba,
Malvaceae genera
Natural history of Mesoamerica
Taxa named by Philip Miller