What is the common name for the tree that produces kapok fiber?

The common name for the tree that produces kapok fiber is the kapok tree.

The best-known kapok tree is Ceiba pentandra, a large tropical species native to the Americas and also found in parts of Africa. It can grow high above the rainforest canopy and develops a broad trunk, often with buttresses that help support it in shallow tropical soils. In Spanish-speaking regions it is commonly called ceiba; other names include Java cotton, silk-cotton and samauma.

After flowering, the tree produces woody pods filled with seeds surrounded by pale, fluffy fibers. This material is kapok. The fibers are hollow, light, water-resistant and buoyant, which made them useful for stuffing pillows, mattresses, life jackets, upholstery and toys. Amazonian peoples have also used the fiber to help seal blowgun darts.

A frequent mix-up is treating “kapok” as only a tree name. It can refer to the fiber as well as the tree, and several related trees may produce similar fibers. For a rainforest quiz, however, “kapok tree” conventionally points to Ceiba pentandra.