Does the kapok tree have fruit? An analysis of the latest number of kapok varieties

I. Does the kapok tree have fruit?

There are many kinds of kapok trees; some have fruit, some do not. Among those that do, the fruit is a capsule, oblong in shape. It is 10 to 15 cm long and 4.5 to 5 cm thick. The fruit is covered with dense grayish-white long silky hairs, and inside there are many seeds; the seeds are obovate and very smooth on the surface. It usually blooms in March and April, and after flowering it bears fruit, which ripens in summer. Comparatively speaking, those that have fruit are fewer.

II. How many kinds of kapok trees are there?

There are a great many kinds of kapok trees; about 200-plus have been discovered so far, but many varieties can only bloom and do not bear fruit. Common varieties include long-fruited kapok, tortoise-shell kapok, large-fruited kapok, beautiful tree, ceiba kapok, green-barked kapok, large-bellied kapok and African kapok, etc. Different varieties also differ in appearance, flowers, flowering period, fruit, etc., and are not the same.

Among them, the most obvious difference between the long-fruited kapok and the kapok is that its fruit is especially long, reaching about 30 cm in length and 5.5 cm in thickness. The fruit skin is very smooth. In addition, its petals are also longer and more slender compared with the kapok. It mostly blooms in March, and the fruit ripens in April. The fruit is chestnut brown, long cylindrical, hairless on the surface, with 5 ridges, and splits along the ridges when ripe.