Ceiba pentandra, also known as kapok, Java cotton, Java kapok, and silk-cotton, is a tropical tree native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, northern South America, and parts of West Africa, southern Asia, and the East Indies. It has been cultivated for its seed fiber in Southeast Asia, including Java, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Hainan Island in China, as well as South America. The tree can grow up to 240 feet tall and has a thick trunk with large simple thorns, and produces several hundred 15 cm long pods containing seeds surrounded by a fluffy, yellowish fiber. Kapok fiber is lightweight, buoyant, resilient, and resistant to water, but it is labor-intensive to harvest and difficult to spin. It is used as filling in mattresses, pillows, upholstery, zafus, and stuffed toys, and was previously used in life jackets until synthetic materials replaced it. The tree also has ethnomedical uses, including as a diuretic and to treat headache and diabetes. Its seed oil has potential as a biofuel and in paint preparation. Ceiba pentandra is a sacred symbol in Maya mythology and is the national emblem of Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and Equatorial Guinea.