What’s Blooming Now? Palo Borracho
Whether you're driving by or jogging by, you can't help but notice these tropical beauties in Montevideo's parks, blooming in March with a lacy pink canopy. Visible from a distance, their true wonder is revealed when you look up close. Its gorgeous flowers, unique fruits, and shady leaf structure make it a coveted tree in many regions of the world.
“Palo Borracho” and “Silk Floss Tree” are common names of the Ceiba speciosa, a tree that is native to Peru, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. It is in the same family as the kapok and baobab. It can reach a height of over 12 meters.
This tree has many showy features. The bark of the younger trees is green, turning streaky brown and green later in life. The trunk and branches are covered with thick thorns. The base of the trunk flares out in a bulbous shape.
The Palo Borracho flowers in summer to fall, before dropping its leaves. The pink and white flowers resemble hibiscus flowers. The nectar attracts pollinators such as bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. The palmately compound leaves are made up of 5-7 leaflets all coming to a common point on the stem. The tree is bare in winter. In the spring, the fruits appear, looking like woody pears. These burst open, and black seeds covered in fluffy white cottony fibers fly out. This fiber has been used as stuffing for cushions, packaging, canoes, and added to paper pulp. The seeds germinate easily and the tree grows quickly: nearly ten feet in just two years.
All photos by Cory Giacobbe, 2017, Montevideo, Uruguay
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