Ceiba pentandra is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae (previously emplaced in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and (as the variety C. pentandra var guineensis) West Africa. A somewhat smaller variety is cultivated in southern and southeast Asia. Kapok is a name used in English-speaking countries for both the tree and the cotton-like fluff obtained from its seed pods. In Spanish-speaking countries the tree is commonly known as "ceiba". The tree is cultivated for its cottonlike seed fibre, particularly in south-east Asia, and is also known as the Java cotton, Java kapok, silk-cotton or samauma.