Kapok Tree

A rainforest giant with explosive seed pods that produce nature's lightest fiber/Plants

The kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) is one of the tallest trees in the tropical rainforest, reaching heights of 70 meters with a trunk diameter of up to 3 meters. Its massive buttress roots can extend 10 meters from the trunk and stand 3 meters tall. The tree produces large seed pods that burst open to release hundreds of seeds embedded in a silky, cotton-like fiber called kapok. This fiber is five times lighter than cotton, naturally water-resistant and buoyant, and was historically used to fill life jackets, mattresses, and pillows. A single tree can produce 4,000 pods per year, yielding about 15 kg of fiber. The kapok is sacred in Maya mythology as the World Tree connecting earth and sky.