Bombax costatum

Invasive species Disclaimer

In view of the fact that some tree species are invasive, the world Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) has put in place a policy document on Invasive Alien Species, currently under draft available at Here.

For more information on this subject, please refer to
100 of the World's worst Invasive and Alien Species.




Species Index    A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Multiple Criteria Search


Abelmoschus moschatus
Acacia aneura
Acacia angustissima
Acacia aulacocarpa
Acacia auriculiformis
Acacia catechu
Acacia cincinnata
Acacia crassicarpa
Acacia elatior
Acacia erioloba
Acacia etbaica
Acacia ferruginea
Acacia glauca
Acacia holosericea
Acacia karroo*
Acacia koa
Acacia laeta
Acacia lahai
Acacia leptocarpa
Acacia leucophloea
Acacia mangium
Acacia mearnsii*
Acacia melanoxylon
Acacia mellifera
Acacia nilotica subsp nilotica
Acacia pachycarpa
Acacia pennatula
Acacia polyacantha ssp. polyacantha
Acacia saligna
Acacia senegal
Acacia seyal
Acacia sieberiana
Acacia tortilis
Acacia xanthophloea
Acrocarpus fraxinifolius
Adansonia digitata
Adenanthera pavonina
Aegle marmelos
Afzelia africana
Afzelia quanzensis
Agathis macrophylla
Agathis philippinensis
Ailanthus altissima
Ailanthus excelsa
Ailanthus triphysa
Albizia adianthifolia
Albizia amara
Albizia anthelmintica
Albizia chinensis
Albizia coriaria
Albizia ferruginea
Albizia gummifera
Albizia julibrissin
Albizia lebbeck
Albizia odoratissima
Albizia procera
Albizia saman
Albizia versicolor
Albizia zygia
Aleurites moluccana
Allanblackia floribunda
Allanblackia stuhlmannii
Allanblackia ulugurensis
Alnus acuminata
Alnus cordata
Alnus japonica
Alnus nepalensis
Alnus rubra
Alphitonia zizyphoides
Alstonia boonei
Alstonia congensis
Alstonia scholaris
Altingia excelsa
Anacardium occidentale
Andira inermis
Annona cherimola
Annona muricata
Annona reticulata
Annona senegalensis
Annona squamosa
Anogeissus latifolia
Anthocephalus cadamba
Antiaris toxicaria
Antidesma bunius
Araucaria bidwillii
Araucaria cunninghamii
Arbutus unedo
Areca catechu
Arenga pinnata
Argania spinosa
Artemisia annua
Artocarpus altilis
Artocarpus camansi
Artocarpus heterophyllus
Artocarpus integer
Artocarpus lakoocha
Artocarpus mariannensis
Asimina triloba
Ateleia herbert-smithii
Aucomea klaineana
Averrhoa bilimbi
Averrhoa carambola
Azadirachta excelsa
Azadirachta indica
Azanza garckeana
Related Links
Bombax costatum slash
© Joris de Wolf, Patrick Van Damme, Diego Van Meersschaut
Bombax costatum leaves
© Joris de Wolf, Patrick Van Damme, Diego Van Meersschaut
Bombax costatum flowers
© Joris de Wolf, Patrick Van Damme, Diego Van Meersschaut

© Joris de Wolf, Patrick Van Damme, Diego Van Meersschaut

Local names:
English (red-flowered silk cotton tree), French (kapokier rouge ou faux kapokier,kapokier), Mandinka (bunkungo,bungkungo), Wolof (kattupa,garablaobe)

Bombax costatum is a deciduous tree up to 25 m high, in the Sahel hardly over 6 m. Crown structure of young trees storeyed, becoming irregular and sturdy in older trees. Bark thick, grey brown and corky, with typical conical, stout, sharp-pointed spines on the stem and branches. Slash light red-brown.

Leaves digitately compound, with 5-7 leaflets, 8-15 cm long, on long petioles. Leaflets partly ovate, partly acuminate at both ends, with 8-10 pairs of lateral nerves. 

Flowers (5-6 cm) long and solitary, deep red, orange or yellow, tulip-shaped, on long, glabrous peduncles. Calyx cup-shaped.

Fruit a dark brown, ellipsoidal capsule, composed of 5 valves, dehiscent, 8-16 cm long and 3-6 cm wide, of variable shape. The valves are furrowed for about one third the distance from the top to the middle.

Fruit contains white floss, called kapok and several small seeds.

The genus name 'Bombax' is derived from the Greek 'bombux', meaning silk, alluding to the dense wool-like floss covering the inner walls of the fruits and the seeds.

Ecology

B. costatum is a fire resisting tree of the savannas and dry woodlands from Senegal to central Africa, from Guinea across Ghana and Nigeria to southern Chad. Its tuberous roots act as water and/or sugar storage facilities during long drought periods. Usually associated with Pterocarpus erinaceus, Daniellia oliveri, Cordyla pinnata, Parkia biglobosa, Terminalia macroptera and Prosopis africana.

Native range
Chad, Ghana, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal

Tree management

Planting of isolated trees recommended. A tree bears up to 1 500 fruits each with 5-8 kg of kapok. Under favourable conditions, 3-5 kg kapok per tree can be obtained from the 10th year onwards. Kapok is very resistant to fire.

There are 17 000-27 000 seeds /kg.

B. costatum is a fire resisting tree of the savannas and dry woodlands from Senegal to central Africa, from Guinea across Ghana and Nigeria to southern Chad. Its tuberous roots act as water and/or sugar storage facilities during long drought periods. Usually associated with Pterocarpus erinaceus, Daniellia oliveri, Cordyla pinnata, Parkia biglobosa, Terminalia macroptera and Prosopis africana.

Direct seeding is a preferred propagation mode, however wildlings may also be used. The seedlings are difficult to plant inspite of their vigorous rooting ability. Natural regeneration easy and abundant when sufficiently protected against fire and livestock.

Poison: B. costatum extracts exhibit molluscicidal activity.

Erosion control:  Supports dry lateritic soils.

 The calyx of the flowers is used in ‘futo’ or sauces and the young fruit is cut around August and September, dried, and used for the preparation of meals. The unripe fruit is cut in pieces and used in the production of a beverage. The high protein content, low content of toxic substances and amount of polyunsaturated fats in seed oil suggest that B. costatum is potentially suitable for human and animal consumption.

Fodder: Leaves are highly digestible and are eaten by livestock. B. costatum regenerates strongly after grazing.

Apiculture:  An important bee forage species.

Fibre:  Kapok fibre is obtained from the fruit. Fibres are mainly used as filling, especially for pillows.

Timber:  The wood is pale yellow to whitish with an orange lustre when newly felled, it soon turns grey when exposed to sunlight. There are no visible differences between the heartwood and the sapwood. The wood is very soft and weighs 350-450 kg/m³ when air-dried. It is moderately solid, easy to season and not liable to major warping or shrinkage. Untreated, the wood is soon attacked and destroyed by fungi and insects. Wood is workable, timber used in constructing dug-out canoes and match-stick manufacture.

Shade or shelter:  Provides ample shade to livestock.

Tannin or dyestuff:  The bark has tannins and yields a brown dye.

Lipids: Seeds of B. costatum have a high oil content (19.8%) and can be a possible oil source.

Medicine:  The bark is used for the treatment of skin diseases, yellow fever and headache, leaves and immature fruit as an emmolient. Various parts are used for fever or to promote lactation and as tonic for fatigue.

Being a fire resistant species the tree can serve well as a boundary mark.

Soil improver:  The leaf litter enhances soil fertility.

Intercropping: B. costatum trees are associated with the agricultural environment, this attests their agroforestry significance.