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Bombacaceae   -   Bottle Trees

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Bombacaceae  Kunth 1822

The Bombacaceae has recently been relegated to a small sub-family within the Malvaceae, together with most of the species formerly included in the family.
 
The Bombacaceae includes about 30 genera with 250 species of tropical trees, some of which develop immense pachycaul trunks as a specialised mechanism for storing water e.g. baobab tree Adansonia digitata, hence the popular name of "bottle trees". Commercially important trees include Ceiba pentandra the source of Kapok fibre, Ochroma lagopus source of the light hardwood Balsa, and Durio zibethinus source of Durian fruit.