BOMBAX

(from bombax, one of the Greek names for cotton; the pods are filled with a fine silky substance like cotton, but which it is impo ible to spin into thread, in consequence of the edges being perfectly smooth). Silk Cotton Tree. O RD. Malvaceæ. A genus of large soft-wooded stove trees. Flowers scarlet or white, large, usually rising laterally from the trunk or branches, either singly or in clusters. They grow best in a rich loamy soil. Cuttings, not too ripe, taken off at a joint, placed in sand under a bell gla , in moist heat, will root readily; but plants raised from seeds brought from their natural habitats make finer trees.