PlantFiles: Shaving Brush Tree
Pseudobombax ellipticum

I have been growing Bombax ellipticum for years. I live in Montana though, so obviously my Bombax tree's are grown inside for most of the year except spring, summer and early fall. Mine have always been excellent growers and extremely easy to take care of. They don't seem to be too picky but do like plenty of water. Never let it dry out completely or you'll have a dead Bombax. Then again, don't over water either or you'll have a rotten Bombax and trust, you don't want that! These are beautiful tree's and make great houseplants. One of mine has only bloomed once and the others, never. Likely because I don't live or grow them in the correct climate. I was just lucky that one year I guess. The flowers are however, extremely beautiful and showy and DO look like giant shaving brushes. The pods produce Kapok which is the cottony seed mass that appears after the flowers get pollinated, usually by bats, moths and birds in their native habitat. The Kapok is used to stuff pillows and make other items. It's very soft and nice. I would highly reccommend getting one of these if you get a chance. No matter where you live, it will be an endearing friend. Just take good care of it and maybe it will bloom for you, too! The giant caudiciform trunks are fabulously attractive, much like myself. Just kidding. To the person above who wrote about planting one near the septic tank in Florida.......bad idea! They get huge and the roots can go deep. It would probably bust your septic tank from just the weight of the tree itself! A very fun plant and beautiful too!

This is a question about this plant.....I need trees that do not have an invasive and thirsty root system, as I have a large septic field that I must plant around. I am trying to find out if this tree would be good to plant near the septic field, or not. Thanks for any info you can give me.

I've had this plant for over 3 years. Year after year it keeps losing its leaves and never blooms. It has one very long thin stalk that is a very healthy green but I'm wondering if I am supposed to cut it back to make the base grow? I'm not sure how to care for this plant.

I first saw this tree from afar and thought is was a ceiba in bloom. However, after approaching it, I realize it was something completely different, but had no idea what it was. I collected a couple of seed pods and found it in a "rare plant" webpage. It was quite large and the fallen blooms make somewhat of a mess - but a beauty. Also, it had a very large trunk - the tree was at least 30-40 feet tall - impressive.

When I bought this plant in October or so, it had one leaf on top and didn't look so hot. I potted it and brought it inside for the winter and the one leaf promptly fell off.

In spring, I put it back outside and it is growing like crazy. I have it on a south-facing balcony in a clay pot and it seems to like the sun. I water it regularly and it seems to respond well to the ample water. It hasn't bloomed yet, so I don't know if it is pink or white.

Attractive plant.But if you grow one outdoors in a pot be careful of sunburn. For a xeriscape plant usually planted in ground, its very sensitive to hot summer sun while kept as a potted plant. Temps below freezing are likely to kill it.

I just saw a massive, gorgeous hot pink one at Selby Gardens, Sarasota, Florida. Incredibly beautiful blooms.

I have a pink shaving brush, it's an amazing plant to experience. The flowers are huge as well as the leaves. I planted it in the ground and it seems to be doing fine. I live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, even though it isn't listed that they grow here. When I first bought this tree the guy at the nursery didn't even know what it was, it was already 10 feet tall. He sold it to me for 60 dollars and told me it was called a "waxy." Only recently have I figured out the name of it through extensive research. I highly recommend this wonderful conversational tree.

Bombax elipticum is a great pot plant, but if you want something large and caudiciform in your xeriscape garden that has a cool, bulbous green trunk and maroon emergent leaves with bizzare white puffy flowers, then this is the plant for you. It is extremely drought tolerant, but we find that if you water it a lot in the summer, it grows very fast and is much more likely to flower.