Deciduous large tree, trunk and branches armed with prickles. Leaves digitately compound, long petioled and glabrous; leaflets 3-9, almost entire; stipules small, deciduous. Inflorescence axillary or subterminal, solitary or fasciculate, clustered at the end of branchlets; peduncle marked with 2-3 scars. Calyx leathery, cup-shaped, truncate, 3-5 lobed, deciduous and splitting irregularly, calyx tube with 2-3 scars. Petals narrowly obovate-oblong or elliptic-oblong, often pubescent. Staminal tube inflated, stamens numerous, multiseriate polyadelphous (mostly in 5 bundles), antipetalous; anthers rarely dithecous in the inner-most series of the filaments. Carpels 5, syncarpous; ovary-locular; style clavate, divided into 5 spreading branches at the top. Capsule dehiscing by 5 longitudinal valves, woody or coriacous, woolly within. Seeds smooth, globose.

A small genus with 8 species only, distributed in tropical Asia and Africa. Represented in Pakistan by the following species.

Lower Taxon

• Bombax ceiba Linn.

Related Synonym(s):

• Bombax aculaetnm L. = Bombax ceiba Linn.
• Bombax heptaphyllum Linn. = Bombax ceiba Linn.
• Bombax malabaricum DC. = Bombax ceiba Linn.
• Gossampinus malabarica (DC.) Merrill. = Bombax ceiba Linn.
• Gossampinus rubra Buch.-Ham. = Bombax ceiba Linn.
• Salmalia malabarica (DC.) Schott & Endl. = Bombax ceiba Linn.