CHORISIA insignis

With their thorny markedly ventricose trunks and exotic-looking flowers, the Floss-Silk Trees (Ceiba insignis) are among the most distinctive ornamental trees. Formerly known as Chorisia insignis, it is notable for its characteristic fat, trunk and branches that are covered with stout spines, more decorative than really frightening, moreover its showy display of large hibiscus-like white to pale yellow flowers when the leaves drop in fall and winter. In spring and summer the tree is also handsome, covered with a lush foliage of bright green palmately-divided leaves. Because C. insignis is usually grown from seed it is somewhat variable and individuals may vary with respect to spines and trunk form. Mature trees are typically short and stout to around 4-18 metres tall and wide, although some may grow taller (up to 30 metres) and be more open in structure.