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Ceiba pentandra
I was attracted to this tree because of it's beautiful large buttressed trunk and branches that came out so oddly perpendicular to the tree. The sign explains a good bit about it. The tree grows to 200–230 ft (60–70 m) tall and it's trunk up to 10 ft (3 m) in diameter with buttresses. The trunk and many of the larger branches are sometimes crowded with large, simple thorns. The leaves are compound, 5 to 9 leaflets, each up to 8 in (20 cm) and palm like. Adults produce several hundred 6 in (15 cm) seed pods. The seed pods are surrounded by fluffy, yellowish fiber. It is a deciduous tree, dropping it's leaves in the dry season. It has white and pink flowers with a foul odor that attracts bats. Pollination occurs as pollen is transferred on the bats' fur. The Kapok tree has many uses. It has lightweight, porous wood which can be used for carvings, coffins and dugout canoes. The seed dispersing fibers are too small for weaving but are good for stuffing in bedding, life preservers and other items. Ceiba pentandra bark decoction has been used as a diuretic, aphrodisiac, and to treat headache, as well as type II diabetes. It is also used as an additive to some versions of the hallucinogenic drink Ayahuasca. Other parts are used as other medicines. A pressed seed oil can be derived from the seeds. It has a yellow color and a mild odor and taste. It is a nondrying oil. Soaps can be made from the oils.
It is a tropical tree, commonly found in rainforests. They live in both wet evergreen and dry semi-deciduous tropical forests.
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