Bombax ceiba L.

 
  • Family : BOMBACACEAE
    (Bombax Or Kapok Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : SEMAL FAMILY (लटकन फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Malvaceae
  • Synonym(s) : Bombax malabaricum DC.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Bombax ceiba L.
  • Common name : Silk Cotton Tree, Malabar Semul
  • Vernacular name :
    • Nurma, Huttian, Semal, Simal (Hindi)
    • Kempu buruga (Kannada)
    • Mullulavu, Booruga chettu (Telugu)
    • Ilavu, Purani (Tamil)
    • Simalu, Simili, Simal (Oria)
    • Shalmali (Sanskrit)
    • Kate-saver (Marathi)
    • Elavu, Kandilavu, Mocha, Mullilavu, Panjimaram, Pichila, Poola, Poorani, Pulamaram, Unnamurikku (Malayalam)
    • Tera(Manipuri)
    • Dumboil (Assamese)
  • Habit : Tree
  • Habitat : Tropical Eastern Himalaya and throughout the hotter forest regions of India
  • Comments / notes : Occasional in plains of deciduous forest up to 800m, sometimes reaching to 1400m; Tropical moist deciduous forests, Tropical semi-evergreen forests and also in the plains Timber is used for matches and coffins. Wood soft but but buoyant, used for dugout boatsand planking; the bark gives a fibre used for rope
  • Key identification features : Large tree. Stem covered with stout, hard conical prickles. Flowers fleshy, red or white. Capsule ovoid, downy
  • Flower, Fruit : February-May
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Throughout Andhra Pradesh
    • Kerala : All districts of Kerala
    • Maharashtra : All districts of Maharashtra
    • Tamil Nadu : All forests in Tamil Nadu
    • Madhya Pradesh : Hoshangabad district
    • Himachal Pradesh : Kinnaur district,Shimla district
    • Arunachal Pradesh : Arunachal Pradesh
    • Meghalaya : Meghalaya
    • Assam : Assam
    • Nagaland : Nagaland
    • Delhi : Delhi
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
    • Punjab : Punjab
    • Mizoram : Mizoram
    • Manipur : Manipur
    • Tripura : Tripura
  • Native : Tropical & Subtropical Asia to N. Australia
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : India, Bangladesh, Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Brazil North, Cambodia, China, Bhutan, Guyana, Hainan, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Islands, Malaya, Maluku, Myanmar, New Guinea, Nicaragua, Northern Territory, Pakistan, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2002 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 1
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1
    • R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District
    • R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District
    • C. E. C. Fischer, 1921 - A Survey of the Flora of Anaimalai Hills in the Coimbatore District, Madras Presidency
    • H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipahar (Similipal), Orissa
    • Sudhakar Reddy, C et al., 2009. Tree Wealth of Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, India
    • Matthew, K.M., Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Henry, Kumari & Chithra (1983). Flora of Tamil Nadu, India vol. 1
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
    • Oleg P & Adam S (1984). Flowers of Himalaya. Oxford University Press: 63
    • Chowdhery, H. J. & Wadhwa, B. H (1984). Flora of Himachal Pradesh Vol. 2. Published BSI: 118
    • Nair, N. G (1977).Flora of Bashahr Himalayas. International Bioscience Publishers: 46
  • Read more :
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2024). India Flora Online. http://indiafloraonline-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Bombax ceiba. Downloaded on 7 September 2024.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Line Drawings

Field Image(s)

India Distribution

World Distribution
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