I would like to know more about African/Liberian silk cotton trees.  I
read where the tree grew as high as 80 - 100 feet in Liberia.  Does
this tree produce cotton balls similar to the cotton from the US
South?  Is the silk cotton tree cotton able to be spun, etc?

Thank you - Kyraeh-ga

Dear kyraeh,

The Silk Cotton Trees (Ceiba pentandra, from the Bombacaceae family),
originally native to South America and now to be found in all tropical
countries in Africa, does not produce cotton balls similar to the
cotton commonly known from America, India and Egypt. Rather, the floss
resembling cotton - called "Kapok" - is found in large woody pods,
surrounding the tree's seeds. These pods burst while still on the
tree, so the seeds can be carried away by the wind.

This photo gives you an impression of what the inside of a
"cotton"-filled seed pod of the Silk Cotton Tree looks like:
http://www.thorntothehorn.org/pictures/pict0499.jpg
(Source: Thorn to the Horn - http://www.thorntothehorn.org/)

This image shows you what the burst seed pod on the tree looks like:
http://www.tis-gdv.de/tis_e/ware/fasern/kapok/zeich57a.gif
(Source: Transport Information Service - http://www.tis-gdv.de/)

The Kapok fibers are short, elastic and brittle; therefore, they
cannot be spun into thread like cotton. However, the floss is valuable
for many other purposes. It is lightweight and water repellent, so it
is used in large quantities in the making of life preservers, life
jackets and as insulation in waterproof winter jackets. Due to its
other commendable qualities, such as its non-allergic, non-toxic, and
odorless nature, kapok fiber is also popular for stuffing items like
pillows, mattresses, and sleeping bags.

In case you are interested, you can learn more about the Silk Cotton
Tree and its Kapok fibers on these websites:

United States Department of Agriculture: Forest Service - Ceiba
pentandra Fact Sheet
http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/TechSheets/Chudnoff/African/htmlDocs_africa/Ceibapentandra.html

Maya Paradise: Plants of the Rio Dulce - Ceiba
http://www.mayaparadise.com/plantse.htm#Ceiba

Transport Information Service: Kapok Product Page
http://www.tis-gdv.de/tis_e/ware/fasern/kapok/kapok.htm

Blue Planet Biomes: Kapok Tree, Ceiba pentandra
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/kapok.htm

Florida State University: Kapok Fibers
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/techniques/dic/dicgallery/kapoksmall.html

St. John Beach Guide: Kapok, Ceiba or Silk Cotton Tree (Ceiba pentandra)
http://www.stjohnbeachguide.com/Kapok.htm


Search terms used:
"silk cotton tree" liberia
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=%22silk+cotton+tree%22+liberia&btnG=Suche
"Ceiba pentandra" spun
://www.google.de/search?q=%22Ceiba+pentandra%22+spun&hl=de&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&start=0&sa=N
kapok fruit
http://images.google.de/images?hl=de&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=kapok+fruit&btnG=Suche
kapok tree fiber
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=kapok+tree+fiber&btnG=Suche
kapok pod
://www.google.de/search?q=kapok+pod&hl=de&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&start=0&sa=N
kapok fibers
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=kapok+fibers&btnG=Suche

Best regards,
Scriptor

Many thanks!  Appreicate the photos too!