Pseudobombax

Morphological Summary

Genus of tropical and subtropical caudiciform trees in family Malvaceae (tribe Bombacoideae), distributed from Mexico and Central America to northern Argentina, with greatest diversity in the Brazilian Cerrado. The name Pseudobombax ("false Bombax") reflects its morphological similarity to the genus Bombax from which it was separated. They are trees with frequently swollen or conical trunks, deciduous, whose spectacular flowering occurs directly on the bare branches before the leaves emerge. The large flowers, with numerous elongated stamens forming a brush of white, pink or red colour, are pollinated mainly by bats and moths. The woody caudex in bonsai forms and the spectacle of their flowering make them highly coveted in caudiciform collections. The genus comprises approximately 20–30 species.