Pseudobombax ellipticum – Shaving Brush Tree

General Information Common Name  Shaving Brush Tree Scientific Name  Pseudobombax ellipticum Sun Tolerance  Full Sun Height  6-12 m (20-40 ft) Spread  4-6 m (15-20 ft) Growth Rate  Fast Bloom Time  Spring Color  Green Flower Color  Red, White Type  Tree Native  Southern Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras

Classification Kingdom  Plantae – Plants Subkingdom  Tracheobionta – Vascular plants Superdivision  Spermatophyta – Seed plants Division  Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants Class  Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons Subclass  Dilleniidae Order  Malvales Family  Bombacaceae – Kapok-tree family Genus  Pseudobombax - Dugand Species  P. ellipticum

Pseudobombax ellipticum – Shaving Brush Tree

Pseudobombax ellipticum  commonly known as Shaving Brush Tree one of the beautiful trees from tropical area of southern Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Generally it grows 20-40 ft (6 – 12 m). Sometimes it can grow up to 60 ft (18m). Leaves are first bright red turning a fine green as they mature. It blooms flowers in Spring. The Flowers are silky and two types colors. Some trees bloom red flowers and some white flowers. They are looking so beautiful when they are in full bloom. The wood is interesting as well, showing stripping of greens, yellows, browns and white. For this reason the people of Central America plant the tree in their garden and the attractive flowers are used to decorate their homes and churches. The tree is grown as an ornamental in Florida and Hawaii. The Shaving brush tree is especially cute when it's young - having a bulb like swollen stem that look like a green rock melon. The trees also used as firewood and wood for carving handicrafts. The tree may be used as living fence in rural areas.

The fruits are collected manually from the tree before opening and dried to extract the seeds. The small seeds are

manually separated from the fibers and stored under cool and dry conditions. Pseudobombax ellipticum is propagated by seeds and cuttings. Seeds require sunny locations for germination. The cuttings, 40 to 100 cm in length and 2 to 5 cm in diameter, are easily rooted when planted in bags of sand and watered daily or when planted directly in the field.

Pseudobombax ellipticum – Shaving Brush Tree : Flower Red

Pseudobombax ellipticum – Shaving Brush Tree : Flower White

Pseudobombax ellipticum – Shaving Brush Tree

Pseudobombax ellipticum – Shaving Brush Tree : Full Tree

Pseudobombax ellipticum – Shaving Brush Tree

Pseudobombax ellipticum – Shaving Brush Tree

Pseudobombax ellipticum – Shaving Brush Tree : Leaves

Pseudobombax ellipticum – Shaving Brush Tree : Beautiful Trunk

Pseudobombax ellipticum – Shaving Brush Tree

Pseudobombax ellipticum – Shaving Brush Tree

Pseudobombax ellipticum – Shaving Brush Tree : Young Plant

Pseudobombax ellipticum – Shaving Brush Tree