kapoktree
Ceiba pentandra · Bombacaceae
kapoktree (Ceiba pentandra) is a perennial tree in the Bombacaceae family. It is introduced to North America rather than native. USDA records it as hardy in zone 11 and warmer, down to about 40°F.
At a glance
| Type | tree Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | introduced USDA |
| Mature height | 150 ft USDA |
| Growth rate | rapid USDA |
| Bloom | December–February USDA |
| Flower color | White USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 11 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | canopy Derived |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
Its drought tolerance is rated low. Its cold limit is zone 11.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 150 ft, making it a large tree that will dominate its site. It grows quickly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of December through February. Flowers are white.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, medium in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. Its fruit or seed heads are conspicuous, extending interest past flowering. Its active growth period is fall. Its winter foliage is dense, which makes it useful for year-round screening.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 39 to 98 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 365 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 24 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
Propagate it from seed and cuttings. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. It spreads vegetatively at a moderate rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Its fire tolerance is rated medium. Its growth form is recorded as single crown.
Role in a guild
Canopy. In a layered planting this is the tallest layer of a planting — it sets the light budget everything beneath it lives on. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Similar role and hardiness
- Alexandrian laurel Calophyllum inophyllum
- stinkingtoe Hymenaea courbaril
- mammee apple Mammea americana
- Sierran palm Prestoea acuminata
- Puerto Rico royal palm Roystonea borinquena
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol CEPE2, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, Tolerance of wet soil, vegetative spread rate.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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