Sowing months
Jun–Jul
Sunlight
Full sun
Water
Weekly for two years
Mature size
20–30 m
First harvest
Flowers from year six
Family
Malvaceae
Where it grows
ground
Good for
beauty, biodiversity
Sow in
monsoon
Care
Needs space overhead; the crown is broad and brittle.
Fat red flowers on a bare grey trunk, then pods of cotton that blow down every street.
Growing it
Needs space overhead; the crown is broad and brittle.
What it is for
Nectar for parakeets and langurs; kapok from the pods.