What does the silk cotton tree symbolize?
The silk cotton tree symbolizes the sacred, unchanging rhythms of nature. The tree, like the Ibo people and their customs, is rooted in the soil; it is here that it finds its nourishment, just as the Ibo derive spiritual sustenance from their natural homeland.
Where does the silk cotton tree come from?
From the tropics of Africa, America, and Southeast Asia. Easily recognized by its huge, spiny, buttressed trunk, this majestic deciduous tree is hardy only in south Florida. Given good soil and moderate to regular moisture, it grows rapidly to 6070 feet tall and 1540 feet wide.
What is the outstanding feature of the silk cotton tree?
The silk cotton is an outstanding tree in our tropical setting as it towers in height far above the general level of the forest canopy. It may reach heights of over 150 feet (46 metres) and it is said that it grows up to 13 feet (four metres) per year.
What is the biggest tree in Trinidad?
Moruga Kapok Tree
It is one of the largest trees in the country, with the Moruga Kapok Tree reaching taller than 56 metres (184 feet) — the hotel is only about half that size, at approximately 30 metres (100 feet) in height. Over the course of Trinidad’s history, local folklore has protected this tree.
What lives in the ancient silk cotton tree?
Jamaicans believe that “duppies” (spirits of the dead) live mostly in silk cotton trees and almond trees.
Which tree has red flowers known as silk cotton tree?
Bombax ceiba
Bombax ceiba, like other trees of the genus Bombax, is commonly known as cotton tree. More specifically, it is sometimes known as Malabar silk-cotton tree; red silk-cotton; red cotton tree; or ambiguously as silk-cotton or kapok, both of which may also refer to Ceiba pentandra.
What is the other name of silk cotton tree?
kapok, (Ceiba pentandra), also called Java cotton, ceiba, or Java kapok, seed-hair fibre obtained from the fruit of the kapok tree or the kapok tree itself. The kapok is a gigantic tree of the tropical forest canopy and emergent layer.
What is the role of the silk cotton tree?
Called Kapok in Asia, the fibers are used for insulation, padding in sleeping bags and life preservers, and for stuffing mattresses and pillows. In Puerto Rico the tree was often planted in the center of plazas for shade, and it is considered a valuable honey tree.
How big is a cotton tree?
It grows to 70 to 100 feet in height and spreads 50 to 70 feet. Cottonwood is a fast growing tree when it has adequate moisture and often grows as much as 8 feet per year.
Why is the silk cotton tree sacred?
2. The ancient silk-cotton tree is considered sacred because the spirits of good children who are waiting to be born live there.
What is the scientific name of silk cotton?
Ceiba pentandra
Kapok tree/Scientific names
Alternate titles: Ceiba pentandra, kapok, silk cotton. Kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra). © Jacinto Yoder/Shutterstock.com. kapok tree. Woolly seeds produced by the seed pods of the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra).
How many types of cotton trees are there?
Actually, there are four types of cotton grown commercially worldwide: Gossypium hirsutum – upland cotton, native to Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean. Gossypium barbadense – known as extra-long staple cotton, native to tropical South America. Gossypium arboreum – tree cotton, native to India and Pakistan.
What are the Legends of the silk cotton tree?
Silk Cotton trees are regarded with a kind of awed reverance and fear. It had been revered for generations as the focal point of magic and obeah. These are huge trees. The mighty ceiba or silk cotton tree has been part of folklore and tradition since pre-Colombian times in T.
Why was the silk cotton tree cut down in Trinidad?
Picton, the British Governor of Trinidad from 1797 to 1802, had most of these silk cotton trees cut down because they were frequented by the practitioners of “native arts.”
How is the silk from the silk tree used?
Commercially, the silk cotton tree, is cultivated in some tropical regions for its fiber, known as kapok. The cotton-like kapok is exposed when the fruits burst open while still on the tree. Because the fiber is short, elastic and brittle, it cannot be spun like cotton but is used in various ways in upholstery and in making floss.
How big is the silk cotton tree in the Caribbean?
Legends of the Silk Cotton Tree and the Demon, Bazil, Caribbean Folklore. The huge and imposing silk cotton tree is found in many parts of the Caribbean. forest. It can grow to a height of more than 200 feet and its widely spreading branches often forms a crown measuring 140 feet in diameter.