The Floss Silk Tree (Ceiba speciosa) is native to South America. It’s known by several colloquial names depending on its location, but strangely, we’re the only ones we can find who call it ‘Flossy’. It has bark with plenty of bite.
This significant tree is a deciduous relative of the baobab and kapok, and one of the most notable features of the Floss Silk tree is a trunk covered in nasty, sharp protrusions thought to discourage animals from inhabiting the branches.
Flossy grows fast and can reach heights of 25 metres. Its trunk is often green due to a high chlorophyll content, which allows photosynthesis and contributes to the plant’s health.
The Spanish call it a ‘drunken stick’ tree, and while there’s no reason given as to why that is, it may be because it looks so attractive at a distance. But up close…well…let’s just say it puts the ‘sting’ in ‘distinguishing feature’.
