floss-silk tree

floss-silk tree

      thorny flowering tree of the mallow family ( Malvaceae), native to South America but cultivated as an ornamental in other regions. It grows to a height of about 15 metres (50 feet). The large pink flowers yield a vegetable silk used in upholstery. It was formerly called Chorisia speciosa.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • floss-silk tree — noun : a thorny deciduous tree (Chorisia speciosa) of the family Bombacaceae that is native to Brazil and Argentina but often cultivated in warm regions for its large solitary pink flowers which appear while the tree is leafless and that is the… …   Useful english dictionary

  • floss — [[t]flɔs, flɒs[/t]] n. 1) tex the cottony fiber yielded by the silk cotton tree 2) tex a) short untwisted silk filaments, often used to make embroidery thread b) embroidery thread of silk or fine cotton 3) any silky, filamentous matter, as the… …   From formal English to slang

  • floss — flosser, n. /flaws, flos/, n. 1. the cottony fiber yielded by the silk cotton tree. 2. silk filaments with little or no twist, used in weaving as brocade or in embroidery. 3. any silky, filamentous matter, as the silk of corn. 4. See dental floss …   Universalium

  • Bottle tree — or bottle tree may refer to: * Adansonia species, the baobabs; ** Adansonia gregorii , the boab; * Pachypodium lealii, (Apocynaceae), the bottle tree of Namibia and Angola; * The genus Moringa, (Moringaceae), of the Madagascar spiny thickets and… …   Wikipedia

  • silk-cotton tree — noun massive tropical tree with deep ridges on its massive trunk and bearing large pods of seeds covered with silky floss; source of the silky kapok fiber • Syn: ↑kapok, ↑ceiba tree, ↑white silk cotton tree, ↑Bombay ceiba, ↑God tree, ↑Ceiba… …   Useful english dictionary

  • floss — flÉ‘s ,flÉ”s /flÉ’s n. fiber from the silk cotton tree; silk thread; something which resembles silky threads; dental thread v. clean one s teeth with dental floss …   English contemporary dictionary

  • vegetable silk — noun a plant fiber from the kapok tree; used for stuffing and insulation • Syn: ↑kapok, ↑silk cotton • Hypernyms: ↑plant fiber, ↑plant fibre • Substance Holonyms: ↑padding, ↑cushion …   Useful english dictionary

  • white silk-cotton tree — noun massive tropical tree with deep ridges on its massive trunk and bearing large pods of seeds covered with silky floss; source of the silky kapok fiber • Syn: ↑kapok, ↑ceiba tree, ↑silk cotton tree, ↑Bombay ceiba, ↑God tree, ↑Ceiba pentandra • …   Useful english dictionary

  • ceiba tree — noun massive tropical tree with deep ridges on its massive trunk and bearing large pods of seeds covered with silky floss; source of the silky kapok fiber • Syn: ↑kapok, ↑silk cotton tree, ↑white silk cotton tree, ↑Bombay ceiba, ↑God tree, ↑Ceiba …   Useful english dictionary

  • God tree — noun massive tropical tree with deep ridges on its massive trunk and bearing large pods of seeds covered with silky floss; source of the silky kapok fiber • Syn: ↑kapok, ↑ceiba tree, ↑silk cotton tree, ↑white silk cotton tree, ↑Bombay ceiba,… …   Useful english dictionary

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