NAME: Ceiba pentandra
FAMILY: Bombacaceae
COMMON NAMES: White silk cotton tree,kapok,fuma
LOCAL NAMES: Araba,egungun,Rimii,Akpu
MORPHORLOGICAL DESCRIPTION:
Ceiba pentandra is a deciduous, tall tree, growing to 50 m (164ft) by 30 m (98ft) at a fast rate
USEFUL PART(s): Flowers, leaves, bark,exudate.
GENERAL USES:
Tender leaves are eaten like okra
Seed is eaten in soups and used as a flavouring
Serves as source of fiber and timbers
Wood ashes are used as a salt substitute
Oil extracted from seed is used for cooking
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION:
Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, southern Asia, tropical west Africa
WHY IS IT GREEN?
Diabetes
Fever
Gonorrhoea
Emollient
Syphilis
Emetic
Astringent
Demulcent
Asthma
Diabetes
Menorrhagia
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The seed is toxic but the oil is edible
Can serve as an ornamental plant
FUN FACT
The oil has a yellow colour and taste resembling cottonseed oil
Flowers - blanched and eaten with chilli sauce
FURTHER READINGS
Silitonga, A. S., Ong, H. C., Mahlia, T. M. I., Masjuki, H. H., & Chong, W. T. (2013). Characterization and production of Ceiba pentandra biodiesel and its blends. Fuel. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2013.02.014
T. K., L., & Lim, T. K. (2012). Ceiba pentandra. In Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8661-7_72
Zheng, Y., Wang, J., Zhu, Y., & Wang, A. (2015). Research and application of kapok fiber as an absorbing material: A mini review. In Journal of Environmental Sciences (China). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2014.09.026