Ceiba

For other uses, see Ceiba (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with the vernacular name ceibo (Erythrina crista-galli), the national tree of Argentina and Uruguay

Ceiba
Ceiba pentandra leaves and fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Malvaceae
Subfamily:	Bombacoideae
Genus:	Ceiba Mill.
Species
About 10–20 species, including: Ceiba aesculifolia Ceiba chodatii Ceiba glaziovii Ceiba insignis Ceiba pentandra Ceiba rosea Ceiba speciosa Ceiba trichistandra

Ceiba is the name of a genus of many species of large trees found in tropical areas, including Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, West Africa, and Southeast Asia. Some species can grow to 70 m (230 ft) 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.

Recent botanical opinion incorporates Chorisia within Ceiba, raising the number of species from 10 to 20 or more, and puts the genus as a whole within the family Malvaceae. 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.

Culture and history

Ceiba Tree in Honolulu

The tree figures an important part in the mythologies of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures. For example several Amazonian tribes of eastern Peru believe deities live in Ceiba tree species throughout the jungle. The Maya civilization believed, Yaaxché, a concept of the central world tree is often depicted as a Ceiba trunk, which connects the planes of the Underworld (Xibalba), the terrestrial realm and the skies. 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.

Ceiba speciosa

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 located in San Antón, 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 latter 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 knownas La Ceiba de San Francisco and is an important element in the history of the city.

Ceiba pentandra produces a light and strong fiber (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 is continued to be commercialized in Asia especially in Java, Malaysia, Indonesia, 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

"Ceiba speciosa" at the National Flag Memorial Park in Rosario, Argentina.

• Ceiba aesculifolia (Kunth) Britten & Baker, 1896
• Ceiba glaziovii (Kuntze) K. Schum., 1900
• Ceiba insignis (Kunth) P. E. Gibbs & Semir, 1988
• Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn.—Kapok (The Caribbean, Central America, South America, West Africa)
• Ceiba rosea (Seem.) K. Schum., 1886
• Ceiba speciosa (A. St.-Hil.) Ravenna, 1998—Palo borracho (Southern Brazil, Northeastern Argentina, Paraguay)
• Ceiba trichistandra Bakh., 1924

Gallery

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  Ceiba tree at O Parks, WildLife, and Recreation, El Ostional, Nicaragua
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  Ceiba tree at O Parks, WildLife, and Recreation, El Ostional, Nicaragua
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  Ceiba pentandra found in the center plaza of Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas, Mexico.
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  Ceiba pentandra in Lal Bagh gardens in Bangalore (Bengaluru), India
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  Buttress roots of a Ceiba tree near the bank of the Amazon close to Iquitos, Peru.
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  Flower of Palo Borracho, Cordoba, Argentina
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  Flower of Ceiba speciosa, Paineira rosa, São Paulo, Brazil
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  Trunk of Ceiba speciosa (Paineira rosa), São Paulo, Brazil
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  Ceiba graviozii, (paineira branca), São Paulo, Brazil
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  Paineira branca flower, São Paulo, Brazil
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  Fruits, São Paulo, Brazil
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  Fruits, São Paulo, Brazil
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  Ceiba speciosa × C. insignis, a Huntington seedling flower, San Marino, California
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  Ceiba speciosa in Lahore
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  Ceiba speciosa in Lahore

See also

• Mesoamerican world tree
• Desert Garden Conservatory
• Parque de la Ceiba