Cochlospermum religiosum

Cochlospermum religiosum is a flowering plant from the tropical region of Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. It is a small tree growing to a height of 7.5 m (25 ft) usually found in dry deciduous forests. The name religiosum derives from the fact that the flowers are used as temple offerings. It is also known as silk-cotton tree because the capsules containing the seeds have a fluffy cotton-like substance similar to kapok.^[2] Another common name is buttercup tree because its yellow and bright flowers look like large-sized buttercups.^[3]

Cochlospermum religiosum
Cochlospermum religiosum blossoms
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Bixaceae
Genus:	Cochlospermum
Species:	C. religiosum
Binomial name
Cochlospermum religiosum (L.) Alston
Synonyms[1]
List Bombax gossypium L. Bombax religiosum L. Cochlospermum balicum Boerl. Cochlospermum gossypium DC. Maximilianea gossypium Kuntze Wittelsbachia gossypium Mart. & Zucc.

In Theravada Buddhism, this plant is said to have used as the tree for achieved enlightenment, or Bodhi by nineteenth Buddha called "Siddhaththa - සිද්ධත්ථ". The plant is known as කිණිහිරියා (Kinihiriyaa) in Sinhala, and කණිකාර (Kanikaara) in Sanskrit..

Gallery

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  Trunk in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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  Flowers
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  Detail of the flowers
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  Flowering tree
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  Flowering canopy
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  Detail of a flower
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  Fruit and Flower
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  Flower