Red Silk Cotton Tree Bombax ceiba 10 Seeds (Fast Shipping )

The Red Silk
Cotton Tree is a spectacular tropical flowering tree that is renowned for its
huge, brilliant red flowers and its wondrously formed trunk and wide-spreading
branches. It is a member of the kapok tree family and like that tree, it
produces large pods that have black seeds which are embedded in masses of silky,
cotton-like fibers.  The fibers allow the
seeds to be dispersed by the wind. It typically matures to 60-75’ tall and to
40-60’ wide, but may soar to as much as 150’ tall in optimum growing
environments. It is native to monsoon forested areas including river valleys,
savannas and hillsides below 4,000’ in elevation in China and Indomalaysia in
areas where soil moisture levels often change significantly during the course
of a year, ranging from long periods of dry, hot and humid conditions to much
shorter periods of moist to wet conditions as a result of heavy rainfall
associated with monsoon activity. Trees have been widely planted over time in
tropical to sub-tropical regions around the world. This tree was introduced into
the U.S. in southern Florida in 1912.

Trees feature:
(a) straight trunks (2-5’ diameter) with horizontal to upright branches in
tiered whorls; (b) cone-shaped spines typically cover the trunk and branches
when trees are young, but the spines become less prominent as the trees mature;
(c) large trees are often conspicuously buttressed at the base; (d) palmate
green leaves (to 24” long), each leaf having 5-7 smooth, leathery, acuminate,
lanceolate to elliptic leaflets; (e) showy 5-petaled red to orange-red flowers
(each to 6-7” long) bloom singly or in clusters for about one month in late
winter to early spring; (f) fruits (pointed, longitudinally ribbed, woody seed
capsules to 6” long filled with silky hairs) follow the flowers.

This tree
starts dropping its leaves each year in January-February in anticipation of
flowering (March-April). Flowers begin appearing when the tree is leafless.
Ground becomes littered with fallen petals during the month of bloom. New
leaves appear only after almost all of the flowering is completed (typically by
April). Flowers are followed by seed pods which split open in April-May to
release to the wind large quantities of silky cotton imbedded with small brown
seeds.

Grow in dry to
medium moisture well-drained soils in full sun. In southern Florida, it is best
grown with moderate but even applications of moisture to the soil. Garden Uses.
Large tree for parks and large open spaces. In Hawaii, it is best grown as park
tree, shade tree or specimen. Synonym. Bombax malabaricum. Hardy in zones
10-12.

The seeds are
stored in a refrigerator to maintain viability.

Growing
Instructions

The seeds have
a hard seed coat that has to be treated, or scarified, in order for water to
enter the seeds so that they can sprout.

1. Scarify the
seeds by nicking or sanding the seed coat.

2. Soak the
seed in water for several hours.

3. The seeds
like moist, well-drained soil. Prepare a mixture of half potting soil and half
sand, perlite or vermiculite. Put the soil in a pot. Water the mixture so that
it is moist but not wet.

4. Put the
seeds on the soil. 

5. Cover the
seeds with a thin layer of soil.

6. Water the
seeds.  

7. Place the
pots in an area with warm temperatures in full sun or part shade. 

8. When the
seedlings are a few inches tall, they can be transplanted.