Trees Planted & Survived
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Mission 2030
Plant 10 Million = Sequester0
MT of CO₂ / Year
Trees Species Details
Scientific Name:
Bombax ceiba
Marathi Name:
Katte Savar
Common Name:
Silk Cotton Tree, Kapok Tree
Plant Form:
Large tree 20–40 m tall
Native/Exotic/Introduced:
Native
Distribution:
Widely in tropical and subtropical India
Plant Characteristics:
Leaves palmately compound with 5–7 ovate to lanceolate leaflets. Large bright red cup-shaped flowers (8–10 cm) bloom before leaf flush. Fruit is a 10–20 cm capsule with fluffy white kapok fibers around seeds. Young trunks often have conical spines.
Required Growth conditions:
Thrives in tropical/subtropical climates, prefers well-drained soils, full sun, tolerates drought and dry seasons; grows from sea level up to 1000 m.
Habitat:
Found in dry deciduous forests, open forests, riverbanks, roadsides, urban and disturbed areas.
Conservation Status:
Least Concern (LC)
Dispersal:
Seeds dispersed by wind, aided by fluffy kapok fibers that enable long-distance dispersal.
Pollinators:
Pollinated by birds (sunbirds, bulbuls), bats, and large insects
Medicinal Information:
Traditionally used in Ayurveda and folk medicine for dysentery, diarrhea, inflammation, wounds, respiratory and urinary issues; kapok fibers used externally. Bark is astringent, tonic, and diuretic; leaves have hypotensive and hypoglycemic effects.
Bird Host Plant:
ND
Butterfly Host Plant:
Crimson Rose (Pachliopta hector)
Moth Host Plant:
ND
Ecological Significance:
Important nectar source for birds and bats; kapok fibers aid seed dispersal; helps stabilize soils in degraded areas; supports biodiversity by feeding nectarivorous bats/insects and providing fiber for nesting.
Cultural Significance:
Flowers used in religious ceremonies; kapok fibers used traditionally for stuffing pillows and mattresses.
Air Pollution Tollerance Index (APTI):
No official APTI data available.
Other Uses:
Kapok fibers used for insulation and stuffing; wood used for light construction and plywood