Justin Blachman
Costa Rica Portfolio
Ceiba/Kabok Tree - Ceiba Pentandra
Physical Characteristics
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Growing up to 13 feet a year (4m) the Ceiba pendantra can grow of to 200 feet (60m) in its lifetime. These large, strong trees have wide butresses at their base, and flat crowns at their peak. Their large leaves radiate from a certain point, growing from five to eaight leaflets. Because the Pentandra is a deciduous tree, every year it sheds its leaves, and is forced to grow new once for the warmer months.
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The Ceiba pentandra grow flowers every year, which are large and bell-shaped with white to pink colors. These flowers open slowly but surely to ensure cross polination from all of its polinaters; which are humingbirds, bats, bees, wasps, and beetles.
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The Ceiba Tree grows around 500 to 4,000 fuits each season, which contain around 200 small, brown seeds. Every season, one Ceiba pendantra may produce 800,000 seeds.
Special Adaptation
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Every year, the seeds of the Ceiba pentandra are released into the tropical rainforest. The Ceiba pentandra resleases its seeds with stilky hairs called kabok fibers. (Another name for the Ceiba pendandra is the kabok tree.) These fibers act as a parashoot for the wind to dispearse these special seeds across the rainforest.
Fibers from the Ceiba pentandra allowing the seeds to spread
Uses of the Ceiba pendantra
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The kapok fibers of the Ceiba pendandra are commonly used in some locations as insulation and stuffing. They are used for material inside furniture, and even automobile seets. Until the 20th century, lifejackets were made from these kabok fibers!
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In many cultures, the oil from the seeds is made into soap, and parts of the seeds are eaten all over the world. In Surinam, the seeds, leaves, bark, and resin from the Ceiba pendantra even is used ofr medicine purposes like a fever and kidney diseases.
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In many cultures, the Ceiba pendantra is important to many cultures across Central and Southern America. It is even believed in a culture that the dead climb the kabok tree to reach heaven. Many cultures believe the kabok tree heal and protect their people.
Kabok Seeds from the Ceiba Pendantra