Xeriscape Landscaping Plants For The Arizona Desert Environment
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Trees

Silk Floss Tree, Chorisia speciosa

Silk Floss Tree, Chorisia speciosa. , October 4, 2006. Glendale Xeriscape Demonstration Garden.
Silk Floss Tree, Flowers, Chorisia speciosa. , October 4, 2006. Glendale Xeriscape Demonstration Garden.

Kapok Tree Spine Branch Chorisia speciosa	Monsa’ Floss Silk Tree Spine Trunk, Chorisia speciosa
Kapok Tree Chorisia speciosa	Monsa’ Floss Silk Tree Chorisia speciosa

Silk Floss Tree Chorisia speciosa, Bombax ( baobab ) Family: ( Bombaceae ), Silk Floss Tree; sometimes called Monsa’ Floss Silk Tree, Floss Silk Tree, "Kapok Tree". Silk Floss Tree, this deciduous tropical from Brazil and Argentina is a large tree rated to over 60 feet. Floss Silk Tree is also well known for the large spikes protecting the trunk and limbs. It produces profuse amounts of large pink, purple, or red flowers followed by inedible fruits. It usually drops it's leaves before producing its flowers. Not always in Arizona. The fruits are lignous ovoid pods (pear shaped capsules), filled with many seeds embedded in silky white floss about 8 inches long, which contain bean-sized black seeds surrounded by a mass of fibrous, fluffy matter reminiscent of cotton or silk. The fruits split open when they mature, releasing masses of a white silky material. This "cotton like" material inside the fruit pods, although not of as good quality as kapok, has been used as stuffing for life jackets, pillows, and thermic insulation. Soft branches are known to break in strong winds. Height: Up To 60 feet, they spread out about 50 feet. Flowers: Large pink, purple, or red flowers about 8 - 9 inches in diameter. Blooming Time: Late September - Mid October. Fruit: Lignous ovoid pods, about 8 inches long, which contain bean-sized black seeds. Stems/Trunks: Thick trunk with large spikes protecting the trunk and limbs. Leaves: Pale green leaves palmately divided into 5 - 7 pointed leaflets. Found: Arizona. Native of Brazil and Argentina. Elevation: 0 - 1,600 Feet. Habitat: Used for xeriscape landscaping. Miscellaneous: Flowering Photos Taken: October 4, 2006. Glendale Xeriscape Demonstration Garden.