Which Amazonian forest tree is commonly called the kapok tree?

Ceiba pentandra is the tree commonly called the kapok tree in the Amazon and other tropical regions.

It is a very large tropical tree with a tall trunk, broad crown and distinctive buttresses. Its seed pods contain a light, silky fiber called kapok, which helps the seeds disperse by wind.

Kapok fiber was historically used as stuffing for cushions, mattresses and life jackets because it is buoyant and water-resistant. The tree also has cultural importance in several tropical societies, including Indigenous traditions in the Americas.

Ceiba pentandra is not the source of natural rubber; that is Hevea brasiliensis. It is also not the Brazil-nut tree, whose scientific name is Bertholletia excelsa. These large Amazonian trees are commonly mixed up because all are associated with tropical forest products.