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Tree Species (Scientific Name)

Ceiba pentandra

Tree Family

Malvaceae

Average Leaf Size (cm)

20cm

Length

20cm

Width

Tree Height

Large (> 35m)

Elevational Range (m)

0–2000m

Distribution

Native

Exotic

Native to Colombia

Native to

Region

Americas

Latin America

Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Southwest Caribbean, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Islands

Colombia

Antioquia, Boyacá, Caldas, Cundinamarca, Huila, Quindío, Risaralda, Santander, Tolima, Valle del Cauca

Exotic in

Latin America

Africa, Asia

Coffee Agroforestry Information

Coffee System

Arabica

Coffee Impact

Beneficial to coffee

Cultivation

Planted

Natural

Tree Management

Cuttings from stems 1 to 2 meters long can be planted directly into the ground. The seeds are dispersed by wind. Trees of this species drop their leaves during the dry season. It has a low incidence of pests.

Tree Benefits and Uses

Farmer Uses

Food
Livestock Forage
Fuelwood
Lumber
Medicinal
Ornamental
Product
Ceremonial

The seed fiber is used as a filling for pillows, mattresses and cushions (cotton fruit fiber). It is used in lightweight construction to make plywood, packaging, boxes and crates, cheap furniture, matches, paper products, and was traditionally used to make canoes, rafts, and farm implements.

Farm Services

Coffee Shade
Soil Improvement
Carbon Capture

Soil conservation and recovery of degraded areas

Biodiversity Benefits

Yes

Attracts biological control agents, Attracts seed dispersers, Attracts pollinators. A long-lived tree that, thanks to the large size it reaches during maturity, offers habitat and food for insects, birds, mammals and other wildlife. Its huge crowns are filled with invertebrates, which attract several species of birds, including slender-billed insectivores.

Citations

Plants of the World Online (POWO). (2024). Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/;

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). (2024). IUCN Red List. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://www.iucnredlist.org/;

United States Department of Agriculture. Natural Resources Conservation Service. (2024). Plants Database. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://plants.usda.gov/home/;

Román, F., De Liones, R., Sautu, A., Deago, J., & Hall, J. S. (2012). Guía para la propagación de 120 especies de árboles nativos de Panama y el neotrópico. Retrieved from https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/20967/stri_GUIA_PROPAGACION.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y;

Fern, Ken (2024). Tropical Plants Database. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://tropical.theferns.info/;

Universidad EIA. (2024). Catálogo virtual de Flora del Valle de Aburrá. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://catalogofloravalleaburra.eia.edu.co/;

Cárdenas, L. M. (2016). Aspectos ecológicos y silviculturales para el manejo de especies forestales: Revisión de información disponible para Colombia. Fundación Natura. Bogotá, D.C., Colombia

World Flora Online. (2024). World Flora Online. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://www.worldfloraonline.org/;

Universidad Nacional de Colombia. (2024). Nombres Comunes de las Plantasde Colombia. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/es/;

Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). (2024). GBIF. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://www.gbif.org/es/

Cedrela odorata

Spanish cedar, Cedar Wood, West Indian Cedar, Cedro, cedro rosado, cedro amargo

Ceroxylon alpinum

Wax palm, Palma de cera, Palma blanca, Palma real, Chonta