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Ceiba pentandra

Mama‘u

Kapok

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Leaf, flower and open pods	68KB
Image:	Tree with open pods	67KB
Image:	Tree with green pods, detail of open pod	72KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Kapok, Silk-cotton Tree; German Kapokbaum

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Mama‘u / Tumu Mama‘u (RR), Mama‘u (MG AK), Vavai (AT MK MT); Other Polynesian - Vavae (SAM)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE tropical Americas - w.Africa

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent (1850s from Tahiti), Not naturalised; S.Group - common; Land, lowlands

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Material (Fibre)

KEY FEATURES: A large deciduous tree to 30m; trunk often with a few pyramid-shaped thorns. LEAVES: at branch ends; alternate; green; subdivided (compound) into leaflets. LEAFLETS: joined at bases (fan-like); 5-7/leaf; narrow-oval. FLOWERS: along the branches; fragrant; white to rosy or yellowish; petals fleshy with silky hairs; flowers appear before leaves. FRUIT: along the branches; long, spindle (sausage) shaped, leathery pod; to15cm length [L]. SEEDS: inside pod; embedded in long white wooly/fibrous material (=kapok).

SIMILAR SPECIES: None.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+++	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++	-	-	-

Northern Group: -
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Ceiba pentandra Linnaeus
SYNONYMS: Ceiba pentandra var. pentandra; Ceiba casearia [sensu GW]; Bombax pentandra; Bombax malabaricum [sensu TC]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); DILLENIIDAE; Malvales; BOMBACACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Material (Fibre). Comments: MATERIAL: The wooly packing material surrounding the seeds (inside the fruit capsules) is Kapok, used to stuff pillows and mattresses (Whistler 1990). Due to being non-absorbent Kapok is used in life preservers (Wilder 1931). Wood very soft.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.572 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.239 Hortus 3rd
p.225 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.197 Tropica
p.2/413 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.274 R* Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.74 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.411f Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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