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The trunk becomes bottle shaped as it ages, and it is covered with stout spines, more decorative than really frightening. Can make a shade tree in warmer areas, or an interesting patio tree. Many bonsai them in large pots. In deep soil this can become a good shade tree, otherwise it is grown for its spectacular flowers and interesting shape. Pear shaped fruits containing a silky floss coming out of the seeds. Need a good drainage. Abundant water in the growing season can make a large tree quickly as they have been recorded to grow 5 meters (15 feet) a year in optimum conditions. Hardy to about 20 degrees F, although hardiness varies with individuals.

The ancient Maya of Central America believed that a great Ceiba tree stood at the center of the earth, connecting the terrestrial world to the spirit-world above. The long thick vines hanging down from its spreading limbs provided a connection to the heavens for the souls that ascended them. Even today, these grand trees are regularly spared when forests are cut it is a common event to see lone, isolated Ceiba trees proudly spreading their shady branches high above a pasture or agricultural field, a relict of the great forests that once were there. The giant limbs of the umbrella-shaped crown are laden with epiphytes (aerial plants) and provide a home for countless species of animals. Birds feed and nest in the tree's high perches, mammals use the enormous limbs as aerial highways, frogs raise their tadpoles in the tiny pools that collect in bromeliads, and insects reach the peak of their diversity in the canopy of giant trees like the Ceiba. Ceiba flowers open in the evening and are pollinated by pollen- and nectar-feeding bats. Their kapok-surrounded seeds are adapted for dispersal by wind.

Some varieties / cultivars have spiny trunks, others smooth.

Ceiba is the name of a genus of many species of large trees found in tropical areas, including Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, West Africa, and Southeast Asia. Some species can grow to 70 m (230 ft) tall or more, with a straight, largely branchless trunk that culminates in a huge, spreading canopy, and buttress roots that can be taller than a grown person.

This spectacular tree is rated among the most beautiful trees in the world. Silk Floss is a zone 9-11 tree that does well in humid states but also is very happy in dry areas such as California. It is known to be hardy in Phoenix, AZ, for example, down to 20'F. Silk Floss blooms in early fall in South Florida with abandon. In full bloom, there are almost no leaves. You see a huge mass of color with 10's of thousands of flowers. The blooms are actually highly variable, lily-like flowers in various combinations of white, pink, often with purple to red striations on the petals. The older the tree, the better the flower display. After blooming, pear shaped fruits appear which have a silky floss on the seeds, hence the name. Floss Silk Tree is also well known for the large spikes protecting the trunk and limbs. More decorative than frightening, spikes are very much more prominent when the tree is young. It is happy in most soils with good drainage and does not have any pest problems, Floss Silk is an premier tree choice for your landscape.