Silk Cotton Family (Bombacaceae)

Various species of trees in the silk cotton family are economically important. Some species are harvested for their wood, which is rather soft and can be easily carved into dugout canoes and other useful products. Balsa wood is an extremely light yet strong wood that is obtained from the fast-growing balsa tree (Ochroma pyramidale). This species is native to tropical forests of Central and northern South America, but most balsa wood is now harvested from plantations. Balsa wood is widely used to make architectural and other models, and to manufacture airplanes, flotation devices, and bottle corks.

Balsa wood was also used to construct the Kon Tiki, a simply-built raft used by Thor Heyerdahl, an anthropologist Baobab trees in western Australia. JLM Visuals. Reproduced by permission. and adventurer. Heyerdahl crossed the Pacific Ocean from east to west in 1947 to test his theory about the movements of pre-historic peoples. In part, Heyerdahl's ideas were based on the observation that the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) had been cultivated by pre-historic peoples in tropical America, Oceania, and southeast Asia. Heyerdahl hypothesized that there had been exchanges of goods and information among these far-flung peoples, and they may have used simple balsa rafts or other vessels as a means of trans-oceanic transportation.

Kapok is a very fluffy material made from the abundant silken hairs that are attached to the ripe seeds of several species in the silk cotton family. Most important in this respect is the silk cotton or kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra), originally from the tropical Americas but now widely planted in Africa and Asia. Less prominent as a source of kapok is the silk tree (Bombax ceiba) of southern Asia. The kapok is derived from long, fine hairs that develop from the inner wall of the 4-6 in (10-15 cm) long seedpods of these trees. The silken hairs are not attached to the seeds, as they are in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), an unrelated fibre-producing plant. A mature kapok tree can be as tall as 98 ft (30 m), and can yield up to 11 lb (5 kg) of fluffy fibres each year. Kapok is commonly used for stuffing cushions, mattresses, and furniture, and for other purposes that require a soft, voluminous filling. Kapok is water repellant and extremely light, but it tangles easily, is somewhat brittle, and tends to eventually disintegrate. In recent decades, kapok has been increasingly replaced by synthetic foams for many of its previous uses as stuffing.

The baobab trees (Adansonia spp.) of Africa and India are of religious importance to some indigenous peoples, who consider this species to be a tree-of-life. One West African belief holds that the first human was born from the trunk of a baobab tree, whose grossly swollen stems somewhat resemble the profile of a pregnant woman. It was further believed that after birth, that first human was nurtured by the vaguely breast-shaped fruits of the baobab. This interesting species is pollinated by plants, which live in small cavities that are associated with spines on the twigs and branches of the baobab tree.

Durians are among the world's most interesting edible fruits, and are gathered from the durian tree (Durio zibethinus). Durian fruits can be as large as 8 in (20 cm) in size, and have a greenish, spiny exterior, and a whitish, custard-like interior. Durian fruits have a foul, sulphurous smell, but if their rather disgusting aroma can be ignored, these fruits are delicious to eat. Durians are especially popular in Southeast Asia. Because of the foul smell of durian fruits, many hotels in that region have signs posted that ask their guests to not eat this food in their rooms.