Family: Malvaceae
Scientific name: Ceiba pentandra
Common name: Kapok tree
Origin: South America

Maybe you remember images of a rainforest, where some trees extend above the rest of the trees: forest giants. These are often kapok trees, because they can reach a height up to 70 metres! (trunk up to 3 metres wide with buttress roots). It’s a tropical tree that is not suited for temperate climates, but performs well as a houseplant. In the oval fruit, some fluff sticks, some kind of white cotton-like balls. This is kapok. It’s similar to cotton, but has nothing to do with the cotton plant. The seeds are dispersed by the wind, and the fluff helps the seeds to spread.

Sowing description: First soak the seeds in water for 48 hours. Then sow them in sowing mix and let them germinate at around 25 degC. Keep the soil constantly moist. 

Sowing time: Whole year
Difficulty: Easy
Minimum temperature: 10 degrees Celcius

Photo 2: Kolibrikerteszet.hu