Silk Cotton Family (Bombacaceae)

Silk cotton trees often attain a very large size, and can be taller than 98 ft (30 m). Their trunks are commonly of a peculiar, bottom-heavy, bottle shape, and their wood is usually soft and light in density. Many species in this family have buttresses at the base of their stem. The leaves of silk cotton trees are arranged alternately along the stem, have a toothless margin, may be simple or compound, and are typically shed during the dry season.

The flowers of trees in the silk cotton family are large and attractive, and develop during the leafless season. The fruit is a capsule, and the seeds commonly have long, silken hairs attached.