What kind of flower is kapok?

Kapok is a specialty of southern China, and it is the city flower of Guangzhou, Kaohsiung and Panzhihua. Flowers fell behind, and many flowers fell under the tree. The flowers did not wither, nor did they wither. They left the world bravely.

Kapok is also called "hero flower" because it is red but not kitsch. Its stout trunk, indomitable posture, heroic grandeur, flowers as red as the backbone of a strong man, and as red as the blood of a hero.

Deciduous trees, up to 33 meters high. The trunk is upright and has obvious tumor thorns; Palmately compound leaves alternate with long petioles; In early spring, leaves bloom first and flowers cluster on the branches. Corolla red or orange red, about 12cm in diameter. Petals have 5 petals, fleshy, ovoid-obovate, about 9cm long, bent outward, with the edge rolled inward and star-shaped on both sides.

Stamens are numerous, tubular, arranged in 3 rounds, and the outermost round generates 5 bundles; The capsule is large, woody and rectangular, reaching 15cm. It will automatically crack when it matures, and it is filled with cotton wool, which can be used as filling materials such as pillows, quilts and cross-stitch cotton.

Many seeds, obovate, black and smooth, hidden in white hair. The appearance of kapok changes greatly: in spring, a tree is orange-red; In summer, green leaves are shaded; Autumn leaves are bleak; In winter, bare branches and cold trees are replaced by cotton wool, and the four seasons show different customs, which is amazing. These flowers are orange. From February to March every year, the leaves fall off and enter the flowering period, and then grow leaves.

Belonging to tropical tree species, it likes high temperature and high humidity climate environment and has low cold tolerance. In case of long-term low temperature of 5 ~ 8℃, its branches suffer from freezing injury and avoid frost. Guangzhou, Nanning and other places in southern China can safely overwinter in the open field in normal years, and there are freezing injuries in cold years.

In the vast areas of northern South China and even North China, potted plants can only be planted and moved into greenhouses or indoors in winter. The room temperature should not be lower than 10℃. It is light-loving, not shade-tolerant, and resistant to scorching sun and high temperature. It should be planted in sunny places.

The requirements for soil are not harsh. Sandy soil or clay is suitable. They like acidic soil, are more resistant to drought and water, and have low requirements on fertility. Generally, the soil with medium fertility and high phosphorus and potassium fertilizer has lush flowers, bright colors and sufficient water, and the soil with high nitrogen fertilizer has lush branches and leaves and many flowers, but the color is not bright. When planting, decomposed cake fertilizer or garbage should be applied as base fertilizer.

Topdressing phosphorus and potassium fertilizer before and during flowering will make the tree look ugly, but it is budding. In management, it can be cut off or pruned to make the crown plump, or 3 ~ 5 plants can be planted in one place to improve the ornamental effect.

The origin of these trees is unknown, but they may have originated in India. It is widely planted in South China, Taiwan Province Province, Indochina Peninsula and Nanyang Islands with immigrants. According to ancient records in China, Zhao Tuo, king of South Vietnam, presented a kapok tree to the Han Dynasty in the 2nd century BC. Kapok is divided into white kapok and red kapok.

It is planted in Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Kunming, Shenzhen, Quanzhou, Fuzhou and Xiamen in China. In particular, kapok is planted as a street tree in Guangzhou and Xiamen. Every year just after the Lantern Festival, kapok trees begin to blossom.