Tree of the Month: Ceiba speciosa (Silk Floss Tree)
Ceiba speciosa, commonly known as the silk floss tree, is a striking South American deciduous tree notable for its bottle-shaped trunk, thorny bark, and large, showy pink flowers.
Our May Tree of the Month is currently flowering beautifully in Queens Park, just north of the Moonee Ponds Bowls Club pavilion on the western side of the park. Here in Melbourne this species, as can be seen currently, flowers in the April to May period.
The trunk has rather prominent thorns, so it’s not one to lean against, yet the trunk is still quite engaging and being green as it is, at least whilst young, does photosynthesise. These thick, woody, cone-shaped spikes act as a defense mechanism against predatorial wildlife and discourage animals from climbing the tree.
The tree is in the Malvaceae family of plants with other such notable kinds as Adansonia, known here as baobabs, that grow in northern Australia and parts of Africa specifically in Madagascar.
This species of tree is native to tropical and subtropical forests of South America, including northeastern Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, and southern Brazil.
While this species is flowering, take the time to check it out and and see what’s growing in Moonee Valley!