Kapok (Safed Semal/ White cotton silk)- Ceiba pentandra

[J.M. Garg]

Attaching pictures of its flowers, bark, fruit, white floss, leaves etc. I have many big trees of this in my Colony at New Alipore, Kolkata. Birds like Mynas, Starlings, Bulbuls, Tailor birds, Orioles, Sunbirds, Crows etc. eat its nectar & possibly buds etc. during flowering in  Jan-Feb in my colony. It's a great hub of birds including Doves, Shrikes etc. during this period as lot of insects are also there. I have made some of my best pictures on this tree adjacent to our house at 5 th floor. It's a very tall deciduous tree with her greenish bark turning greyish as it mature with conical prickles of young tree falling with age. Leaves are Palmately compound with whorled branches. It's floss is an excellent stuffing for pillows, mattresses etc. 
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Cheers!
J.M.Garg
"Enjoy every moment of your life"

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[nitu]

Hi! it is white silk cotton (kapok)and not white semal.this is in fact the actual kapok with smaller flowers .there are other varieties of semal (bombax)with larger flowers in variety of colours-red yellow pink orange etc

[J.M. Garg]

Thanks, Nitu ji.

I stand corrected for White Silk Cotton & not White Cotton Silk.

Safed Semal is a common name used by many. Pradip Krishan's book lists it as one of the common names. Even Semal (Bombax ceiba) is called an India Kapok. Sometimes many species of trees have a same common name.