Kapok
or Silk Cotton Tree - from NPS sign Reef Bay Trail
(Ceiba pentandra) Bombax family
Can you find the face on the wrinkled gray elephant hide tree trunk? Notice how broken or cut off limb stubs (once used for turtle decoys) have healed over - a good adaptation against infection and decay of the whole tree. Planters and slaves slept on mattresses stuffed with the fluffy silk cotton fiber from the seedpods. Centuries ago Arawak and Carib families migrated through the islands in huge dugout ceibas or boats made of the balsa-like wood. The buttressed root system may be another adaptation to help provide moisture and support for the mature tree.
See Also Jumbie Tree