The fluffy, cotton-like kapok on the kapok tree, close-up - Stockfoto

Ceiba pentandra, or Kapok tree. Ceiba pentandra is a tropical tree of the family Malvaceae / Bombacaceae. Kapok is the most used common name for the tree and may also refer to the cotton-like fluff obtained from its seed pods. A natural fiber, Kapok is completely biodegradable,and is used in bedding and upholstery industries, in life-saving equipment (lifebuoys, belts) and in thermal and soundproof building insulation. The kapok tree's trunk displays large, conic thorns.