Seeds of the Kapok tree

Common name: Kapok Scientific name: Ceiba pentandra Also known as: Silky cotton tree - Lobonash Kapok tree is a tropical perennial tree, fast-growing, reaching a height of 40 meters or more, deciduous, and considered one of the tallest trees in the world. It has a light gray vertical trunk covered with sharp conical thorns. **Flowers of the Kapok tree:** The bisexual flowers are 4 cm long, creamy white in color, and have a milky scent. The flowers bloom at night. They contain five petals on the outside, and only a few flowers open on a specific branch each night during the two or three weeks the tree blooms. It does not bloom every year, and some may remain 5 to 10 years without flowering. **Fruit and seeds of the Kapok tree:** The fruits are large, soft, made of an outer skin and rectangular capsules up to 15 cm long, pointed at both ends. The color changes from green to brown to black when ripe. After ripening, the fruit splits from the base to the top into five sections. The seeds are smooth, dark brown, and located in a mass of light hair. **Kapok tree germination season:** The best time to plant seeds is March and April. They can also be planted year-round in agricultural reserves, enclosed or plastic places where temperature can be controlled, sunlight reaches, or where adequate lighting for the plant is available. **Suitable climate and soil for the Kapok tree:** The Kapok needs full direct sunlight. It is planted in fine sandy soil, preferably moist, deep, and fertile. It is heavily fertilized, tolerant of drought and frost, and watered regularly. **How to cultivate the Kapok tree:** Place the seeds in a small pot with moist, fertile soil, add water periodically, and keep in a sunny place until they grow. Afterward, they need continuous fertilization if nutrients are lacking. **Its benefits and uses:** Kapok trees are ornamental and shade trees. Seeds produce oil used in soap making. The fruits produce cotton, considered one of the best types of cotton for mattresses and pillows. It is also used in the medical field. **Original habitat of the Kapok tree:** Its native habitat is Asia and Africa. It is cultivated in Saudi Arabia and many Arab countries.