This plant is one of the most famous due to its vitality and beauty. It has received wide distribution on many continents, in many sunny warm countries.
This article will present an amazing and unusual plant of ceiba (tree). Where it grows and what it is, you can find out by reading the short story below about it.
It is also known under other names: cotton tree, sumum, kapok, five-stamen ceiba. It should be noted that the name of the kapok is also given to its fiber, located in the ripened fruit of this unique tree.
Ceib Tree: Description
A total of 17 species of ceibes are known that naturally grow in tropical regions of West Africa and America. Of these, 2 species are most common in the world: magnificent ceiba and chorizia.
Ceiba is a type of baobab. The tree grows in height about 60-70 meters. His trunk is very wide with well-developed buttresses. In the thickened lower part of it, large volumes of moisture accumulate during dry seasons.
The leaves are palm-complex in shape, consisting of 5-9 leaves (length 20 cm). They are very reminiscent of palm leaves. Age trees produce up to several hundred large fruits (15 cm) - drop-down seed boxes. The walls of the boxes inside are covered with shiny fluffy silky hairs resembling cotton in structure. They represent a mixture of cellulose and lignin. Manual harvesting is a rather labor-intensive process.
Ceiba is a tree (photo below), which has a feature. The trunk of the plant and branches are abundantly covered with prickly large spikes of conical shape. There are also specimens of ceibes without spikes.
Spread
The plant is widespread in Brazil, in Mexico, in West Africa and in Indochina. Cities in Costa Rica and Honduras are named after this sacred tree - Ceiba and La Ceiba, respectively.
As a tree of life, it represents the official symbol of the state of Guatemala. Ceiba also grows in Israel, where it ended up not without human help. In this country there is one of the most beautiful species of this plant, whose height is relatively small - not exceeding 25 m. The lower part of an adult tree has a diameter of about 2 meters, and its growths and bulges contain reserves of the same water.
It is believed that ceiba (tree) was first domesticated in Africa (western part). Then it spread to its eastern part and to Asia.
Beliefs and legends
This plant is sacred for many nations.
Ceiba is a tree considered a symbol of life among the Mayan peoples. It, according to the legend of the Indians, consists of the underground, middle and upper worlds. For them, it is a world tree standing in the very center of the Earth. On its upper branches the gods are seated, communicating and observing the life of people. If their mood is good and at their disposal, they may even appear to be mere mortals.
This tree represents the axis of the world. One ancient belief claims that the ceiba trunk represents the world of people, and the roots are the kingdom of the dead. The branches of the plant are the path of the souls of the dead to heaven.
And now people come to the tree of life as if in a temple to pray and share the most intimate, ask for mercy or just keep silent. At the same time, you can not even step on the sacred shadow of Ceiba, for this you need to ask him for permission.
And today, in small towns, the sacred ceiba (tree) is located in the center, on the square. Often you can see the vast cut down forests, but the ceibes usually remain untouched, alone, and delight everyone with their amazingly beautiful lush flowering.
Flowering ceiba
Ceiba blooms in winter, and it is a delightful and extraordinary sight. This picture is impressive and shocking with the richness and richness of color.
Ceiba is a tree whose flowers consist of 5 petals. Inflorescences are pinkish-red, white and purple. They appear on bare branches. In appearance and form, they are similar to hibiscus flowers. Their diameter is about 15 centimeters.
It should be noted that each flower opens only for one day, and then crumbles. Therefore, under a huge tree during its flowering, literally the whole space is covered with a beautiful bright and luxurious carpet of delicate petals.
Fruits of the ceiba tree
On the branches after flowering of the tree, pear-shaped fruits (or in the form of avocados) are formed, which at the end of winter after full ripening crack, open and expose a large number of dark small seeds. The latter are equipped with white long fibers resembling cotton.
This pile (kapok) was always collected before and then used for stuffing the inside of mattresses, horse saddles and pillows.
These fibers are highly valued in the world market and are sold under the name kapok silk. On one tree, from 600 to 4000 box fruits ripen per season.
Some interesting facts
Unique ceiba tree. Interesting facts about him confirm this. In the humid tropical forests of America (the birthplace of ceiba), the plant grows to an impressive huge size (50-60 meters in height) in the form of a large wide umbrella, towering above the adjacent trees.
An interesting fact is that when the Spanish troops surrendered to the United States Army in 1898, the signing of a peace pact was carried out under a large ceiba tree. It then stood in the vicinity of the city of Santiago de Cuba. Since those most significant historical times, this tree has been called the Tree of Peace.
Application
Ceiba is a tree that is widely used in the life of people. The kapok, which has good buoyancy and is lighter than cotton in weight, is able to retain weight in water that is 30 times its own.
More recently, until synthetics began to replace natural materials, kapok was widely used to fill upholstered furniture, chairs in water transport and airplanes, soft toys, etc.
Due to its good buoyancy and water resistance (fetal hairs are covered with a wax substance), kapok is indispensable in the manufacture of vests and other life-saving appliances. Among other things, light warm jackets for polar explorers are also sewn from it. Beautiful bonsai are made from this plant.
Thanks to the simple propagation by seeds, ceibu is also grown as an original ornamental plant for greenhouses and other large rooms.
Since in vivo growth, ceiba flowers are pollinated not only by insects (butterflies and bees), but also by hummingbirds, and even by bats, the flowers and leaves of the plant are used in medicines, as well as for the manufacture of cosmetics and creams. Possess flowers excellent anti-inflammatory and astringent properties.
Indigenous ceiba wood is used for canoeing, and fiber from the trunks is used to make ropes. On the vast plantations of Asia (southeast) they grow it for wood, intended for the manufacture of beautiful veneers, plywood, paper.
The bark of the plant also contains certain psychotropic substances. Native Indians prepare from it a special drink of Amazonian shamans (ayahuasca), used during ceremonies to enter a trance.
Seeds are used in the production of semi-drying fatty oil, replacing cottonseed. It is used in food, in the household as fertilizer and in the production of soap and candles. It is also used for technical purposes. The remaining cake from the seeds goes to feed livestock.
