Silk-cotton Tree

The Silk-cotton Tree can form huge trees in the rainforest up to a height of 75 meters. The trunk can grow to a diameter of 3 meters. It may become 500 years old. The trunk is long and without branches and has characteristic sturdy cone-like spines, particularly in younger trees.

Today the Silk-cotton Tree is found worldwide in tropical regions. The origin is supposed to be in South America. Since the closed seed capsules can be transferred safely by sea current they could have been transferred across the Atlantic to West Africa. The fibres of the fruit are used as filling for mattresses or as insulating material.