Introduction

1. marvaceae in the tropicsA large perennial deciduous tree growing in subtropical areas, about 10-25 m tall. Kapok wood and fruit fibers are widely used, and the flowers are edible and medicinal. It has been endowed with deep cultural meanings in Asia and the Americas.

2. The beacon fire originated from Zhao Tuo, the king of Nanyue, who was named after the red flowers of the trees; "Gubei" is derived from the transliteration of the Sanskrit word "Karpassa"; "Jibei" is believed to be a transliteration of the local Nanyang language "Ceiba", which originally referred to the Javanese kapok "Ceiba Pentandra" because of its similar shape.

3. It blooms first from February to April, and then grows leaves. The flowers are large, with a five-petaled corolla, obovate-shaped, with stellate hairs on both sides, orange-yellow or orange-red, and yellow (rare). Calyx black-brown, leathery.

4. In addition to making canoes from kapok wood, the Indians and Taíno people of Central America also used it as a source of honey for food and medicine, and also used kapok for rituals.

5. In Yunnan, Guangxi and other places in China, fresh kapok is an important seasonal vegetable; In southeastern Yunnan, Guangdong, Hainan Island and other places, kapok will also be dried to make tea and soup .