GDV-002 · Malvaceae
Ceiba pentandra
Ceiba pentandra
- Common name
- Ceiba
- Scientific name
- Ceiba pentandra
- Genus
- Ceiba
- Family
- Malvaceae
Natural history
Ceiba pentandra belongs to Malvaceae. Its architecture can combine a spreading crown, a substantial trunk and basal buttresses. Its palmate leaves carry several leaflets from one point, and the tree may shed its foliage during part of its annual cycle.
Flowers offer nocturnal resources. Later, fruits contain seeds accompanied by fibres known as kapok. Reproduction therefore connects two separate processes: pollen movement between flowers and seed dispersal after fruit formation.
Research in Guanacaste and Osa shows that reproductive relationships can vary within the same species. Shape is only part of knowing a ceiba: its calendar and visitors reveal functions that a daytime photograph cannot capture.