Randu alas or kapok alas or red silk-cotton or red cotton tree (Bombax ceiba) is a species in Malvaceae like other trees commonly known as cotton trees. This tropical tree has perpendicular stems and deciduous leaves in winter. Red flowers with 5 petals appear in the spring before the leaves grow new.
B. ceiba produces capsules containing white fibers such as cotton. Old trees up to 60 meters in the wet tropics, but wood is too soft to use. Young stems and branches are equipped with cone spines, but eroded with age.
The palate leaves have 6 leaflets radiating from the center point or the tip of the petiole, 7-10 cm wide, 13-15 cm long. Flexible leaf stalks up to 20 cm long. Solitary or clustered cup-shaped flowers, axilla or sub-terminal, follicular near the tip of the branch, on average 7-11 cm wide, 14 cm long, petel up to 12 cm long.
Short staminal tube, more than 60 in 5 bundles. The stigma is bright red, 9 cm long, the ovary is pink to 1.5-2 cm long with skin covered in white silk hair for 1 mm in length. Many seeds, long, ovoid, black or gray and packed in white cotton.
The fruit has a length of up to 13 cm, is green when young but becomes brown when ripe. Flowers are very attractive to wildlife where many birds make holes in unopened flower buds. Honey bees collect pollen and many insects gather.
TAXON
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Subfamily: Bombacoideae
Genus: Bombax L. in Sp. Pl.: 511 (1753)
Species: Bombax ceiba L. in Sp. Pl.: 511 (1753)
HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS
Bombacopsis quinata Dugand in Contr. Hist. Nat. Colomb. 1: 2 (1938)
Bombax quinatum Jacq. in Enum. Syst. Pl.: 192 (1760), nom. illeg. superfl.
Pachira quinata W.S.Alverson in Novon 4: 7 (1994), nom. illeg. superfl.
Pochota quinata W.D.Stevens in Taxon 36: 463 (1987), nom. illeg. superfl.
HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS
Bombax aculeatum L. in Syst. Nat., ed. 10. 2: 1141 (1759)
Bombax ceiba Burm.f. in Fl. Indica: 145 (1768), sensu auct.
Bombax ceiba var. leiocarpum A.Robyns in Bull. Jard. Bot. État Bruxelles 33: 97 (1963)
Bombax heptaphyllum Cav. in Diss. 5: 296 (1788)
Bombax malabaricum DC. in Prodr. 1: 479 (1824)
Bombax thorelii Gagnep. in Notul. Syst. (Paris) 1: 77 (1909)
Bombax tussacii Urb. in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 15: 171 (1918)
Gossampinus malabarica (DC.) Merr. in Lingnan Sci. J. 5: 126 (1927 publ. 1928)
Gossampinus rubra Buch.-Ham. in Trans. Linn. Soc. London 15: 128 (1827)
Gossampinus thorelii (Gagnep.) Bakh. in Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, sér. 3, 6: 190 (1924)
Salmalia malabarica (DC.) Schott & Endl. in Melet. Bot.: 35 (1832)
Melaleuca grandiflora Blanco in Fl. Filip.: 615 (1837)
PUBLICATIONS
Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2012). Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98: 1-1192.
Baksh-Comeau, Y., Maharaj, S.S., Adams, C.D., Harris, S.A., Filer, D.L. & Hawthorne, W.D. (2016). An annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Trinidad and Tobago with analysis of vegetation types and botanical 'hotspots'. Phytotaxa 250: 1-431.
Balkrishna, A. (2018). Flora of Morni Hills (Research & Possibilities): 1-581. Divya Yoga Mandir Trust.
Dy Phon, P. (2000). Dictionnaire des plantes utilisées au Cambodge: 1-915. Chez l'auteur, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Govaerts, R. (1996). World Checklist of Seed Plants 2(1, 2): 1-492. MIM, Deurne.
Grierson, A.J.C. & Long, D.G. (2001). Flora of Bhutan 2: 1-1675. Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Hancock, I.R. & Henderson, C.P. (1988). Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin Dodo Creek Research Station 7: 1-203.
Hara, H., Stearn, W.T. & Williams, H.J. (1979). An Enumeration of the Flowering Plants of Nepal 2: 1-220. Trustees of British Museum, London.
Kotiya, A., Solanki, Y. & Reddy, G.V. (2020). Flora of Rajasthan: 1-769. Rajasthan state biodiversity board.
Kress, W.J., DeFilipps, R.A., Farr, E. & Kyi, D.Y.Y. (2003). A Checklist of the Trees, Shrubs, Herbs and Climbers of Myanmar. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 45: 1-590. Smithsonian Institution.
Lê, T.C. (2003). Danh lục các loài thực vật Việt Nam 2: 1-1203. Hà Nội : Nhà xuất bản Nông nghiệp.
Maliya, S.D. & Datt, B. (2010). A contribution to the flora of Katarniyaghat wildlife sanctuary, Baharaich district, Uttar Pradesh. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 34: 42-68.
Mao, A.A. & Dash, S.S. (2020). Flowering Plants of India an Annotated Checklist (Dicotyledons) 1: 1-970. Botanical Survey of India.
Meena, S.L. (2012). A checklist of the vascular plants of Banaskantha district, Gujarat, India. Nelumbo 54: 39-91.
Newman, M., Ketphanh, S., Svengsuksa, B., Thomas, P., Sengdala, K., Lamxay, V. & Armstrong, K. (2007). A checklist of the vascular plants of Lao PDR: 1-394. Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Pandey, R.P. & Dilwakar, P.G. (2008). An integrated check-list flora of Andaman and Nicobar islands, India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 32: 403-500.
Sarmah, K.K. & Borthakur, S.K. (2009). A checklist of angiospermic plants of Manas national park in Assam, India. Pleione 3: 190-200.
Sikarwar, R.L.S. (2014). Angiosperm diversity assessment of Chitrakootthe legendary place of Vindhyan range, India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 38: 563-619.
VERNACULAR NAME
Arabic: زغبية - قابوق أحمر
Assamese: Dumboil, Himila, Himolu
Austria: Asiatischer Kapokbaum
Bengali: Katseori, Roktosimul
Bunun: Kancinghui
Chinese (simplified): 木棉 - 攀枝花 - 红棉树
Chinese (traditional): 木棉 - 斑芝樹
Czech: Cejba pravá
English: Red Kapok Tree, Red Silk Cotton Tree, Red silk-cotton, Red cotton tree
Esperanto: Hinda bombako
Filipino: Malabulak, Babui-gubat, Taglinan
Finnish: Valkokapokkio
French: Fromager rouge, Kapokier rouge
German: Asiatischer Kapokbaum
Gujarati: સફેદ શીમળો safed shimalo
Hindi: Nurma, Huttian, Semal, Simal, Shalmali, Kaantisenbal, Rakta senbal, Semar kanda, Semul, Semur, Shembal, Shimbal, Simul
Hungarian: Vörös selymesgyapotfa
Indonesian: Randu alas, Kapuk hutan
Japanese: インドワタノキ - キワタ - キワタノキ
Java: Randu alas, Randu agung
Kannada: Kempu buruga
Lao: ງິວບານ
Lithuanian: Kapokinis bombakmedis
Maharashtra: काटेसावर
Malayalam: Elavu, Kandilavu, Mocha, Mullilavu, Panjimaram, Pichila, Poola, Poorani, Pulamaram, Unnamurikku
Malaysia: Tambaluang
Manipuri: Tera
Marathi: Kate-saver, Shaalmali, Saanvar, Saanvari, Saura
Mizo: Pang, Phunchawng
Myanmar: လက်ပန်
Nepali: सिमल
Nusa Tenggara Timur: Kapok kalingi
Oria: Simalu, Simili, Simal
Oriya: Similikonta
Polish: Wełniak azjatycki, Pachira kolczasta
Portuguese: Paineira-vermelha
Russian: Бомбакс капоковый, Бомбакс сейба
Sanskrit: Shalmali, Shaalmali
Slovak: Bombax vlnovcový
Sundanese: Dangdeur
Tamil: Ilavu, Purani, Mullilavu
Telugu: Buruga, Mullulavu, Booruga chettu
Thai: งิ้ว
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