Ceiba insignis

A fast-growing deciduous tree, up to 15 m tall, with a trunk typically flared at the base (flask-shaped) and up to 2 m in diameter. Its bark is greenish-ashy and covered with strong conical spines, especially in young specimens. The leaves are palmately compound, with 5-7 glabrous, obovate, acuminate leaflets and toothed at the apex. The flowers are large and showy, with a calyx of five fleshy sepals and a corolla of five free, oblong petals, wavy at the edges, initially yellow with a purple spot at the base, then turning cream. The fruits are large, pendulous, pear-shaped capsules, persistent on the branches, dehiscent, and containing numerous seeds wrapped in a downy coating.