Silk Cotton Tree, Red Kapok Tree

Bombax ceiba, like other trees of the genus Bombax, is commonly known as cotton tree. More specifically, it is sometimes known as Malabar silk-cotton tree; red silk-cotton; red cotton tree; or ambiguously as silk-cotton or kapok,[2] both of which may also refer to Ceiba pentandra.

This Asian tropical tree has a straight tall trunk and its leaves are deciduous in winter. Red flowers with 5 petals appear in the spring before the new foliage.[3] It produces a capsule which, when ripe, contains white fibres like cotton. Its trunk bears spikes to deter attacks by animals. Although its stout trunk suggests that it is useful for timber, its wood is too soft to be very useful.

Uses:- The white fluffy fibres are carded into thread and woven into textiles in Nepal and India. In North India, fibers are also used in pillows. In Thailand, the dry cores of the Bombax ceiba flower are an essential ingredient of the name ngiao spicy noodle soup of the cuisine of Shan State and Northern Thailand,[6] as well as the kaeng khae curry.[7] Its flower buds are known as "Marathi Moggu" are also used in the regional cuisine of Southern India as a spice as well as in herbal medicine.