Red cotton tree in Tel Aviv by resuimages

The red cotton tree (bombax ceiba) is a tropical flowering tree known for its huge, brilliant red flowers, its beautifully shaped trunk and widely spreading branches. It is a member of the Kapok tree family. Similar to the kapok tree, the cotton tree produces large capsules of black seeds that are masses of silky, cotton-like fibres. Even the slightest breeze disperses the wonderfully fluffy, long-stemmed and at the same time ultra-light fibres, in all directions. In South America, for example, the cotton tree is a giant tree up to 75 metres high, which was revered by the Mayas as a particularly mystical tree. In Africa, preferably also in the former German colony of Tanzania, and in Southeast Asia, the cotton tree was cultivated for its woolly fruits and their fibres. In Asia, it is better known as Kapok. The fruit capsules, which are up to 15 cm long and as thick as a thumb, burst open when ripe and the fluffy plant fibres literally swell out. Inside, the seed filaments protect the tiny seeds. The seeds are oily and are collected when the fibres are combed out, pressed and a valuable vegetable oil is obtained. More than a hundred years ago, kapok was a sought-after substitute and filling fibre used in the textile industry. The fibre material, which could only be spun as a blended yarn due to the complex fibre preparation, was initially used for the production of simple blankets. However, especially because of its elasticity and lightness - the fibres are also known as plant down - kapok was primarily used as a filling material for quilts and upholstery. Because of its special buoyancy in water, kapok was also discovered in the 1930s as a filler for life jackets. In addition, the bacteria-resistant fibre material is suitable for antiseptic wound dressings. The almost germ-free fibre material has been rediscovered in recent years as a filling material for pillows and quilts for allergy sufferers.