Kapok
Translation- Kapok
:"For the children's book, see
The Great Kapok Tree ".taxobox
name = Kapok
image_caption = Kapok planted inHonolulu ,Hawaii
regnum =Plantae
unranked_divisio =Angiosperms
unranked_classis =Eudicots
unranked_ordo =Rosids
ordo =Malvales
familia =Malvaceae
genus = "Ceiba "
species = "C. pentandra"
binomial = "Ceiba pentandra"
binomial_authority = (L.) Gaertn.|Kapok ("Ceiba pentandra") is a tropical
tree of the order "Malvales " and the family "Malvaceae " (previously separated in the family "Bombacaceae "), native toMexico ,Central America and theCaribbean , northernSouth America , and (as the variety "C. pentandra" var. "guineensis") to tropical westAfrica . The word is also used for thefibre obtained from itsseed pod s. The tree is also known as the Java cotton, Java kapok, orceiba . It is a sacred symbol inMaya mythology .The tree grows to 60-70 m (200-230 ft) tall and has a very substantial trunk up to 3 m (10 ft) in diameter with buttresses. The trunk and many of the larger branches are densely crowded with very large, robust simple thorns. The leaves are compound of 5 to 9 leaflets, each up to 20 cm (8 in) and palm like. Adult trees produce several hundred 15 cm (6 in) seed pods. The pods contain seeds surrounded by a fluffy, yellowish fiber that is a mix of
lignin andcellulose .Uses
The fibre is light, very buoyant, resilient, highly flammable and resistant to
water . The process of harvesting and separating the fibre is labour-intensive and manual. It cannot be spun but is used as an alternative to down as filling inmattress es,pillow s,upholstery ,teddy bear s,zafu s and for insulation. It was previously much used in life jackets and similar devices. The fibre has been largely replaced by man-made materials. The seeds produce anoil used locally insoap and that can be used asfertilizer .In
Southeast Asia n countries kapok has larger seed pods and the fibre which is highly flammable is used as a fuel infire piston s, inThailand called taban fai [http://www.thailex.info/THAILEX/THAILEXENG/LEXICON/t.htm#taban%20fai%20(ตะบันไฟ) ตะบันไฟ] .The commercial tree is most heavily cultivated in
Asia , notably in Java (hence its nicknames),Philippines , andMalaysia , but also in South America.A similar fibre is found in the Indian "Bombax ceiba" (also known as "Bombax malabaricum" or "silk-cotton tree"). It is termed Indian kapok and is darker in colour and less buoyant than the true variety.Another species, the Kapok Bush "
Aerva javanica ", produces a material that is used for stuffing pillows.Cite book|title=Wanggalili; Yinjibarndi and Ngarluma Plants|author=Burndud|publisher= Juluwarlu Aboriginal Corporation |date=1990|page=19]This tree is the official national tree of
Puerto Rico .Ethnomedical uses
"Ceiba pentandra" bark
decoction has been used as adiuretic ,aphrodisiac , and to treat headache, as well astype II diabetes ."Ceiba pentandra" is used as an additive to some versions of the hallucinogenic drink
Ayahuasca . [ [http://www.serendipity.li/dmt/hoasca.html#tbl1 Ayahuasca Analogues] ]References
* [http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?9703 Germplasm Resources Information Network: "Ceiba pentandra"]
* [http://www.thailex.info/THAILEX/THAILEXENG/LEXICON/kapok.htm The larger seed pods of SEA kapok and its use as a fuel in fire pistons]
* [http://www.westafricanplants.senckenberg.de/root/index.php?page_id=14&id=299 Ceiba pentandra] in Brunken, U., Schmidt, M., Dressler, S., Janssen, T., Thombiano, A. & Zizka, G. 2008. West African plants - A Photo Guide. Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Frankfurt/Main.Gallery
Gallery of "Ceiba pentandra" & Birds/a Bat on it
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
kapok — noun капок (растительный пух) … Англо-русский словарь Мюллера
Kapok — Ka*pok , n. [Prob. fr. the native name.] (Bot.) A silky wool derived from the seeds of {Ceiba pentandra} (syn. {Eriodendron anfractuosum}), a bombaceous tree of the East and West Indies. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
kapok — 1> капок, вата из семян капка … Новый большой англо-русский словарь
Kapok — (Ceibawolle), das seine seidige Haar, das in der Frucht von Ceiba pentandra (Eriodendron anfractuosum) die Samen umgibt, aber nicht wie die Baumwolle von diesen ausgeht, sondern den Geweben der Frucht zuzuzählen ist. Der Baum wächst in Indien und … Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon
Kapok — Kapok, s. Polstermaterialien … Lexikon der gesamten Technik
Kapok — Kapok, Pflanzendunen, die Wollhaare von Eriodendron (s.d.) und Bombax (s.d.) … Kleines Konversations-Lexikon
kapok — /kay pok/, n. the silky down that invests the seeds of a silk cotton tree (kapok tree), Ceiba pentandra, of the East Indies, Africa, and tropical America: used for stuffing pillows, life jackets, etc., and for acoustical insulation. Also called… … Universalium
Kapok — Kapokfasern Kapok (von malaisch kapuk), auch Pflanzendaunen genannt, ist die Hohlfaser des Kapokbaumes (Ceiba pentandra). Sie stammt aus den langen Fasern der Früchte des in den Tropen wachsenden Baumes. Die Faser selbst ist glatt, transparent… … Deutsch Wikipedia
Kapok — Fibres d un Ceiba pentandra, servant à faire du kapok. Le kapok, en malais kapuk, est une fibre végétale que l on tire de fruits de plusieurs arbres de la famille des Bombacaceae. On utilise plus particulièrement ceux de Ceiba pentandra, le… … Wikipédia en Français
kapok — noun Etymology: Malay Date: circa 1750 a mass of silky fibers that invest the seeds of the ceiba tree and are used especially as a filling for mattresses, life preservers, and sleeping bags and as insulation … New Collegiate Dictionary
