The benefits and uses of the kapok flower, and which city's city flower it is

In the warm south, there is a flower that always catches everyone's eye in spring, and that is the kapok (Bombax ceiba).

The kapok is a large deciduous tree of the Malvaceae family. It stands extremely upright, with a thick trunk that can grow to several tens of metres tall. On the branches, huge flowers bloom freely and dazzlingly. Strangely enough, when it blooms there is no green foliage to set it off, yet it does not look monotonous in the least; the whole tree turns red, and seen from afar it is truly spectacular.

Every year from2 - 3months is the kapok's moment in the spotlight15days, and although that is not very long, the brilliance of its full bloom is enough to be remembered for a whole year. This is especially true of Guangzhou, where it is the city flower: whether along bustling streets and lanes or beside quiet parks and riversides, the kapok is everywhere, dressing the whole city in vitality and filling it with the spirit of spring.

The kapok is not just beautiful. It is also a Chinese medicinal herb; it is cool in nature and has the effects of clearing heat, draining dampness and removing toxins. Friends in the Guangdong region are certainly familiar with kapok soup; every season when the kapok is in bloom, plenty of dried kapok is sold in the markets. The soup made with it is both delicious and health-giving, helping people remove dampness during the humid season and stay in good health.

Many people wonder whether they can grow kapok at home, but in fact it grows very fast and becomes especially tall, so it is better suited to open places such as courtyards and parks.

If you want to grow kapok, note that it likes a sunny, warm and humid environment, and the soil is best loose, fertile and well drained.

It is generally propagated in two ways: sowing and cuttings. For sowing, choose spring, scatter the seeds on a seedbed and keep the soil moist, and they will soon take root and sprout; for cuttings, select healthy branches, insert them into a substrate and tend them carefully, then transplant once they have rooted. During care, do not water too often; follow the principle of "do not water until dry, and when you water, water thoroughly", and apply fertiliser appropriately during the growing season, and the kapok will grow vigorously.