A tropical tree (family Malvaceae), up to 70 m tall and with buttresses to the stem, with fruit that is a pod containing seeds enclosed by a yellowish, fluffy, water-resistant but highly flammable fibre. Kapok may refer to both the tree and the fibre. The tree is native to Central and northern South America and the Caribbean, with one variety native to West Africa. It is widely cultivated for its fibre.