Native Plants
Bombax ceiba
Kapok
LC
Least Concern
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
ver 3.1, 2020
Taxonomy
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Kingdom
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Division
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Class
-
Order
-
Family
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Genus
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Specific Epithetceiba L.
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Vernacular Name
- Kapok (Sabah)
- Kekabu (Malay)
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ResidentialNative
The taxonomic status is pending for approval
Description
Bombax ceiba, known as red silk-cotton tree is a large deciduous tree that belongs to the family Malvaceae. Its straight cylindrical stem is adorned by horizontal branched arranged in whorls. The trunk and branches of a young tree are covered with large woody spines, unlike its mature or aged counterpart. The inner bark is pink to reddish in colour when cut. The tree starts losing its leaves from January to February while early March marks the beginning of the flowering season. The brown matured flower buds form, enlarge and open to create a striking sight of branches covered with large, fleshy and showy red flowers. The flowers are short-lived, usually lasting from five to seven days. At the end of the flowering season, flushes of leaves and young fruits emerge. By May, the matured fruit will split to release seeds embedded in white cottony strands.
The exact origin of the red silk-cotton tree is unknown. However, southern China and Indomalaya are fairly possible locations. The tree is hardly seen in Peninsular Malaysia though it is widely planted elsewhere such as in Sandakan, Sabah in parks and roadsides. Due to its large size, the red silk-cotton tree is suitable as park or shade trees. Besides the usefulness of the cottony fibres, the beautiful attractive flowers make the tree a lovely ornamental plant (Nadiah, 2016).
Assessment
| Year Published | Assessment | Red List Category | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Least Concern (LC)
|
3.1 |
Biodiversity Experts
| Profile | |
|---|---|
|
Ahmad Aldrie Amir (Dr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
|
Vascular,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Evolution, Forest, History, Law and Policy, Management, Marine & Coastal, Protected Areas & Science
|
|
Alona Cuevas Linatoc (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM)
|
Vascular,
Biodiversity & Conservation
|
|
Anisah Lee Abdullah (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
|
Coral Reefs, Vascular,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Geoinformatics, Management, Marine & Coastal, Protected Areas, Science, Technology & Water
|
|
Asyraf Mansor (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
|
Palms, Vascular (Ecology),
Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Evolution & Forest
|
|
Avelinah Julius (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)
|
Vascular (Taxonomy),
|
|
Cheah Yih Horng (Mr.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Moss, Vascular,
Biodiversity & Systematics
|
|
Chong Ju Lian (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)
|
Mammals (Ecology), Vascular (Ecology),
Invasive Alien Species, Protected Areas, Digital Sequence Information (DSI), Marine & Coastal & Climate Change
|
|
E. Soepadmo (Prof.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular,
|
|
Vascular,
|
|
|
John Baptist Sugau (Mr.)
Department of Forestry Peninsular Malaysia (JPSM)
|
Vascular (Taxonomy),
|
|
Kartini Binti Saibeh (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)
|
Vascular,
Agriculture, Biodiversity & Conservation
|
|
Lau Kah Hoo (Mr.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular, Ginger,
Conservation
|
|
Lillian Chua Swee Lian (Dr.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular,
Conservation
|
|
Lim Chung Lu (Mr.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular (Taxonomy),
|
|
Mahani Bt. Mansor Clyde (Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
|
Vascular,
|
|
Mohamad Azani Alias (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)
|
Vascular (Taxonomy), Vascular, Vascular, Amphibians, Amphibians,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Climate Change, Protected Areas & Forest
|
|
Mohd Fahmi Abu Bakar (Ts. Dr.)
Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA)
|
Vascular,
Digital Sequence Information (DSI), Evolution, Genetics, Molecular & Systematics
|
|
Mohd Nazre Salleh @ Japri (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)
|
Vascular,
Biodiversity
|
|
Mohd Norfaizal Ghazalli (Dr.)
Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI)
|
Vascular, Pitcher plants,
Agriculture, Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecosystems, Science, Systematics & Taxonomy
|
|
Nadiah Idris (Mrs.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular (Taxonomy),
|
|
Nazahatul Anis Amaludin (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK)
|
Vascular (Ecology),
Biodiversity & Conservation
|
|
Nor Ezzawanis Abdullah Thani (Mrs.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular (Taxonomy),
Digital Sequence Information (DSI)
|
|
Norzielawati Bt. Salleh (Mrs.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular,
Biodiversity, Forest & Molecular
|
|
Nur Kyariatul Syafinie Abdul Majid (Ms.)
Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK)
|
Vascular (Ecology),
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation, Forest & Protected Areas
|
|
Nur Supardi Md Noor (Dr.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Palms, Vascular,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Forest & Management
|
|
Ong Poh Teck (Mr.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular (Taxonomy), Orchids,
|
|
Rafidah Abdul Rahman (Mrs.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular (Taxonomy),
|
|
Richard Chung Cheng Kong (Dr.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular (Taxonomy),
|
|
Rusea Go (Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)
|
Orchids (Taxonomy), Vascular (Taxonomy), Vascular (Ecology),
Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Forest, Management, Protected Areas, Climate Change & Invasive Alien Species
|
|
Sam Yen Yen (Dr.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular (Taxonomy), Ginger,
|
|
Saw Leng Guan (Dr.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular,
|
|
Shamsul Khamis (Dr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
|
Vascular (Taxonomy),
Taxonomy
|
|
Siti Aishah Abdullah (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)
|
Vascular,
|
|
Siti Munirah Mat Yunoh (Mrs.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular (Taxonomy),
Marine & Coastal
|
|
Suhaida Mustafa (Mrs.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular (Ecology),
Conservation
|
|
Syahida Emiza Suhaimi (Mrs.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular,
|
|
Syazwani Bt. Azeman (Mrs.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular,
Biodiversity, Forest & Science
|
|
Tam Sheh May (Dr.)
Taylor's University
|
Orchids, Vascular,
Biodiversity, Data Analysis, Evolution, Genetics & Molecular
|
|
Tan Swee Lian (Dr.)
Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM)
|
Vascular (Ecology),
Agriculture & Biodiversity
|
|
Ummul Nazrah Abdul Rahman (Ms.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular (Taxonomy),
|
|
Wendy Yong Sze Yee (Ms.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular,
Conservation & Biodiversity
|
|
Yao Tze Leong (Mr.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Vascular,
Biodiversity & Ecosystems
|
|
Yong Kien Thai (Dr.)
University of Malaya (UM)
|
Moss, Vascular (Taxonomy), Ferns (Taxonomy),
Protected Areas, Biodiversity, Conservation, Evolution & Taxonomy
|
PM - Peninsular Malaysia; SBH - Sabah; SWK - Sarawak; SEA - Southeast Asia; W - World;
References
Article
- Milow, P., Malek, S. & Ramli, M.R. (2017). Medicinal Plants of the Indigenous Tribes in Peninsular Malaysia: Current and Future Perspectives. Active Ingredients from Aromatic and Medicinal Plants. . https://doi.org/10.5772/66658
- Nadiah, I. (2016). Red Silk Cotton Tree with Striking Flowers. FRIM in FOCUS, 6-7. http://www.frim.gov.my/v1/fif/pdf_file/FIF-Mac2016-Web.pdf
Chapter in book
- Milow, P., Malek, S. & Ramli, M.R. (March 2017). Medicinal Plants of the Indigenous Tribes in Peninsular Malaysia: Current and Future Perspectives. In El-Shemy, H. (Ed.), Active Ingredients from Aromatic and Medicinal Plants. InTechOpen. pp. 14.
Magazine/Bulletin
- Identification of Selected Lesser Known Timber 13: Angsana/Sena (Pterocarpus sp.), Bayur (Pterospermum spp.), Bebuta (Excoecaria spp.) And Kekabu (Bombax spp.). Timber Technology Bulletin: Compilation of Timber Technology Bulletins 1995-2015 (57), 2016. Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Malaysia.
Publications
Related by Genus
Acknowledgements :- Ms. Aida Salihah Binti Abu Bakar, Ms. Mira Farzana Binti Mohamad Mokhtar, Ms. Norazah Binti Norddin, Mrs. Nurfarhana Hizan Binti Hijas & Mr. Tan Kok Kiat
Species Citation :- Bombax ceiba. Malaysia Biodiversity Information System (MyBIS). Accessed via https://www.mybis.gov.my/sp/2131. [Retrieved 25 April 2024].
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