Cochlospermum religiosum

(Click image to Enlarge)

Photographs by: Dr. Maulik Gadani

Botanical Name : Cochlospermum religiosum (L.) Alston
The generic name Cochlospermum is derived from Greek words, kochlos which means 'Spiral Shell' and sperma which means seed, which refers to the shape of the seeds. The species name religiosum means 'referring to God' as the flowers are used as temple offerings.
Synonyms : Bombax religiosum L.
Common Name : Buttercup Tree, Yellow Silk Cotton Tree, Golden Silk Cotton Tree
Common Name Details :
Plant Family : Cochlospermaceae
Plant Form : Tree
Occurrence (Special Areas) : Indroda Park

Habit : A softwooded, deciduous tree having a stout trunk with few short, stout, crooked, spreading branches and thick fibrous, smooth, pale grey bark marked with deep furrows.
Leaves : Palmately divided into 3-5 lobes, borne on long petioles, dark green above and downy-white below, produced in cluster near the ends of the twigs.
Inflorescence : Terminal panicles.
Flowers : Bright yellow 5 petals, spreading with a shallow notch at the apex, surrounding a ring of numerous golden stamens which encircle the style.
Fruit : 5-lobed capsule, pendulous, pear-shaped, dark-brown at maturity containing a number of brown, kidney-shaped, hard seeds attached with a quantity of pure white silky floss.
Flowering and Fruiting Time : February-March
Significance : The plant holds an aesthetic value and thus is used mainly for plantations in the gardens and roadside.