- Family:
- Bixaceae Kunth
- Genus:
- Cochlospermum Kunth
Cochlospermum orinocense (Kunth) Steud.
Originally considered to be in the same family as the kapok tree, and then in a family of its own, the genus Cochlospermum is now known to be a relative of annatto (Bixa orellana) - a South American plant widely used as a food dye.

[UPFC]
- Distribution
- Biogeografic region: Amazonia, Guiana Shield, Orinoquia, Pacific. Elevation range: 20–770 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca, Boyacá, Caldas, Caquetá, Casanare, Córdoba, Guainía, Guaviare, La Guajira, Norte de Santander, Santander, Vichada.
- Habit
- Tree.
- Conservation
- IUCN Red List Assessment (2021): LC.
- Ecology
- Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, native grassland, wetlands (inland), artificial - terrestrial.
- Vernacular
- Bototo, Bototo, Botuto, Botuto, Ceibo, Compadre bototo, Flechero, Flechero, Floramarillo, Poroporo, Yuco, Yuco
[KSP]
Kew Species Profiles
- General Description
-
A striking South American tree, the empty fruits of which may turn up in your potpourri.
Originally considered to be in the same family as the kapok tree, and then in a family of its own, the genus Cochlospermum is now known to be a relative of annatto (Bixa orellana) - a South American plant widely used as a food dye.
Cochlospermum orinocense was first encountered in 1800 on the banks of the mighty Orinoco River by the great explorers and naturalists Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland. Like a number of tropical trees adapted to survival in seasonal climatic conditions, C. orinocense flowers while leafless during the dry season, ready to develop fruits when the rains come.
As a 'pioneer' species it grows rapidly and can colonise cleared areas. Its flowers are pollinated by solitary bees during an intensely synchronised flowering period. If bees are scarce, flowers can self-pollinate and produce fruits.
- Species Profile
-
Geography and distribution
Widespread in northern South America and into Panama.
DescriptionOverview: A small to medium-sized deciduous tree.
Leaves: The leaves are arranged alternately on branches, and are divided into 5-7 separate leaflets on a long leaf-stalk (petiole), like the fingers of a spread hand.
Flowers: The five-petalled yellow hermaphrodite flowers have numerous orange anthers (part that contains the pollen) and a single style (part of the female element of the flower) and are borne towards the ends of the branches while the tree is leafless.
Fruits: The fruits are three-lobed capsules, initially soft and green but becoming brittle and opening when dry to release curved seeds bearing long brownish hairs.
UsesThis tree is occasionally planted for ornamental purposes on account of its spectacular flowers, and in the region of Santerém (Brazilian Amazon) its attractive papery pods are used in floral arrangements. They are also sometimes incorporated into potpourri mixtures.
As with many members of the order Malvales, the bark of this tree is strong and fibrous, and is sometimes used to make rope, baskets or even perhaps clothing. The wood is occasionally used for handicrafts and is said to be good for smoke-curing natural rubber.
The seeds have been used by indigenous Amazonian peoples to make necklaces, and the silky fibres that surround them in the pod may be used to stuff cushions and pillows (hence the name algodão-bravo , which means 'wild cotton').
There are also reports of this species being used for medicinal purposes: treatments of wounds, fevers and bruises.
CultivationCochlospermum orinocense can be grown from seeds (approximately 33,300 per kilogramme), which germinate more rapidly if the hairs are removed. Experiments indicate that the ideal germination temperature is 25°C.
This species at KewPressed and dried specimens of Cochlospermum orinocense are held in Kew's Herbarium, where they are available to researchers from around the world, by appointment. The details of some of these, including images, can be seen online in the Herbarium Catalogue.
The Sustainable Uses Group at Kew works with potpourri designers and manufacturers and has collected 1,000 potpourri samples representing 455 related groups of plants. This collection includes three samples of the empty fruits of C. orinocense , which are held in Kew's Economic Botany Collection.
Kew's work in BrazilKew's survey teams found Cochlospermum orinocense to be common in seasonal forest on granite outcrops in the Cristalino State Park, Brazil, in their work in this part of the southern Amazon.
- Distribution
- Brazil, Peru, Venezuela
- Ecology
- Secondary forest, forest margins and natural clearings; also in seasonal, dry forests.
- Conservation
- Not known to be threatened.
- Hazards
-
None known.
[CPLC]
Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co
- Distribution
- Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 20 - 770 m.; Amazonia, Guayana y Serranía de La Macarena, Orinoquia, Pacífico, Valle del Magdalena.
- Morphology General Habit
- Árbol
- Conservation
- No Evaluada
[UNAL]
Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/
- Vernacular
- bototo, botuto, compadre bototo, flechero, floramarillo, poroporo, yuco
[UPB]
The Useful Plants of Boyacá project
- Ecology
- Alt. 2600 - 3900 m.
- Morphology General Habit
- Herb.
- Distribution
- Native from Colombia.
[UPFC]
- Use Food
- Used for food.
- Use Materials
- Used as material.
- Use Medicines
- Medical uses.
- Use Social
- Social uses.
[UPB]
- Use Materials
- Materials (State of the World's Plants 2016).
- Use Materials Unspecified Materials Chemicals
- Materials (State of the World's Plants 2016).
- Use Medicines Unspecified Medicinal Disorders
- Medicinal (Instituto Humboldt 2014).
Native to:
Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil West-Central, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Panamá, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela
- Cochlospermum parkeri Planch.
- Cochlospermum parvifolium Planch.
- Cochlospermum wentii Pulle
- Cochlospermum williamsii J.F.Macbr.
- Maximilianea orinocensis (Kunth) Kuntze
- Maximilianea parkeri (Planch.) Kuntze
- Maximilianea parvifolia (Planch.) Kuntze
- Wittelsbachia orinocensis (Kunth) Mart. & Zucc.
- Bombax orinocense Kunth
- English
- Tefé rose
- Spanish
- Bototo, flechero, botuto, yuco, ceibo, bototo.
Cochlospermum orinocense (Kunth) Steud. appears in other Kew resources:
Date | Reference | Identified As | Barcode | Type Status | Has image? |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mar 1, 2007 | Sasaki, D. [1337], Mato Grosso | K000447280 | No | ||
Nov 1, 2006 | Projeto Flora Cristalino [322], Mato Grosso | K000578731 | No | ||
Nov 1, 2006 | Projeto Flora Cristalino [259], Mato Grosso | K000447281 | No | ||
May 22, 1998 | Dubs, B. [2419], Brazil | K000973148 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1988 | Cid Ferreira, C.A. [8033], Brazil | K000973145 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1988 | Nee, M.H. [34565], Brazil | K000973147 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1985 | Cid Ferreira, C.A. [2552], Brazil | K000973149 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1978 | Hostmann [1040], Suriname | K000470097 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1978 | Spruce, R. [s.n.], Brazil | K000973124 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1978 | Parker, D.S. [illeg] [178], Guyana | K000470098 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1978 | Hostmann [1040], Suriname | K000470096 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1978 | Prance, G.T. [5317], Brazil | K000973136 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1978 | Burchell [9806], Brazil | K000973142 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1978 | Riedel [1308], Brazil | K000973141 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1978 | Spruce, R. [s.n.], Brazil | K000973127 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1972 | Prance, G.T. [7579], Brazil | K000973129 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1972 | Prance, G.T. [6282], Brazil | K000973140 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1972 | Prance, G.T. [15152], Brazil | K000973146 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1972 | Prance, G.T. [5165], Brazil | K000973143 | Yes | ||
Jul 30, 1967 | Ratter, J.A. [227], Brazil | K000973137 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1967 | Prance, G.T. [3972], Brazil | K000973135 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1967 | Prance, G.T. [4261], Brazil | K000973138 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1967 | Prance, G.T. [2992], Brazil | K000973139 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1961 | Pires, J.M. [51716], Brazil | K000973131 | Yes | ||
Pennington, R.T. [120], Bolivia | 55808.000 | No | |||
Egler, W.A. [47642], Brazil | K000973130 | Yes | |||
Burchell [10092] | K000973122 | Yes | |||
Spruce, R. [493], Brazil | K000973126 | Yes | |||
Ducke [526], Brazil | K000973134 | Yes | |||
s.coll. [493], Brazil | K000973128 | Yes | |||
Ratter, J.A. [5502], Brazil | K000973144 | Yes | |||
Spruce, R. [s.n.], Brazil | K000973125 | Yes | |||
Spruce, R. [129], Brazil | K000973123 | Yes | |||
Krukoff, B.A. [8313], Brazil | K000973132 | Yes | |||
Silva, F.C. [59], Brazil | K000973151 | Yes | |||
Krukoff, B.A. [8313], Brazil | K000973133 | Yes | |||
Ratter, J.A. [6791], Brazil | K000973150 | Yes |
First published in Nomencl. Bot., ed. 2, 1: 393 (1840)
Accepted by
- Govaerts, R. (1999). World Checklist of Seed Plants 3(1, 2a & 2b): 1-1532. MIM, Deurne.
- Govaerts, R. (2003). World Checklist of Selected Plant Families Database in ACCESS: 1-216203. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Hokche, O., Berry, P.E. & Huber, O. (eds.) (2008). Nuevo Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Venezuela: 1-859. Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuela.
- Idárraga-Piedrahita, A., Ortiz, R.D.C., Callejas Posada, R. & Merello, M. (eds.) (2011). Flora de Antioquia: Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares 2: 1-939. Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín.
- Jørgensen, P.M., Nee, M.H. & Beck., S.G. (eds.) (2013). Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de Bolivia Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 127: 1-1741. Missouri Botanical Garden.
Literature
Kew Species Profiles
- Duke, J. A. & Vasquez, R. (1994). Amazonian Ethnobotanical Dictionary. CRC Press, Boca Raton.
- Figueiredo, P. S. de, Ribeiro, E. K. M. D., Lacerda, D. M. A. & Girnos, E. C. (2009). Estratégia reprodutíva de Cochlospermum orinocense (Kunth) Steud.: fenologia, biologia floral e sistema. Revista Brasileira de Botânica 32: 781-792.
- Projeto: 'Extrativismo Não-madeireiro e Desenvolvimento Sustentável na Amazônia (ITTO – PD 31/99 ver. 3 (i)'. Banco de dados “Non Wood”.
Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia
- Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co
Useful Plants of Boyacá Project
- Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humbodlt (2014). Plantas alimenticias y medicinales nativas de Colombia. 2567 registros, aportados por: Castellanos, C. (Contacto del recurso), Valderrama, N. (Creador del recurso, Autor), Castro, C. (Proveedor de metadatos), Bernal, Y. (Autor), García, N. (Autor). Versión 11.0. http://i2d.humboldt.org.co/ceiba/resource.do?r=ls_colombia_magnoliophyta_2014
- Kew's Economic Botany collection in The State of the World’s Plants Report–2016. (2016). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew https://stateoftheworldsplants.org/2016/
Kew Backbone Distributions
- Jørgensen, P.M., Nee, M.H. & Beck., S.G. (eds.) (2013). Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de Bolivia Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 127: 1-1741. Missouri Botanical Garden.
Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia
- Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R., & Celis, M. (eds.). (2020). Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia. v1.1. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Dataset/Checklist. https://doi.org/10.15472/7avdhn
- Castro-Moreno, C. (2019). Línea base de especies en términos de su vocación de conservación y uso sostenible del departamento de Santander-Proyecto Santander BIO.
- Diazgranados et al. (2021). Catalogue of plants of Colombia. Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia project. In prep.
- Diazgranados, M., Allkin, B., Black N., Cámara-Leret, R., Canteiro C., Carretero J., Eastwood R., Hargreaves S., Hudson A., Milliken W., Nesbitt, M., Ondo, I., Patmore, K., Pironon, S., Turner, R., Ulian, T. (2020). World Checklist of Useful Plant Species. Produced by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity.
- FPI (2021). Food Plants International. https://fms.cmsvr.com/fmi/webd/Food_Plants_World?homeurl=https://foodplantsinternational.com/plants/
- GBIF.org (2021). GBIF species matching tool. https://www.gbif.org/tools/species-lookup
- IUCN (2021). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2021-2. https://www.iucnredlist.org.
- Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humbodlt (2014). Plantas alimenticias y medicinales nativas de Colombia. 2567 registros, aportados por: Castellanos, C. (Contacto del recurso), Valderrama, N. (Creador del recurso, Autor), Bernal, Y. (Autor), García, N. (Autor). http://i2d.humboldt.org.co/ceiba/resource.do?r=ls_colombia_magnoliophyta_2014
- Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt. (2014). Plantas alimenticias y medicinales nativas de Colombia. 2567 registros, aportados por: Castellanos, C. (Contacto del recurso), Valderrama, N. (Creador del recurso, Autor), Bernal, Y. (Autor), García, N. (Autor). http://i2d.humboldt.org.co/ceiba/resource.do?r=ls_colombia_magnoliophyta_2014
- Medicinal Plant Names Services (MPNS) v.10 (2021); http://mpns.kew.org/
- Plants for malaria, plants for fever: Medicinal species in Latin America, a bibliographic survey: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- RBG, Kew (2021). Kew Economic Botany Collection. https://ecbot.science.kew.org/
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Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia
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Colombian resources for Plants made Accessible
ColPlantA 2021. Published on the Internet at http://colplanta.org
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Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
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Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
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Kew Science Photographs
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Kew Species Profiles
Kew Species Profiles
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Universidad Nacional de Colombia
ColPlantA database
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Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia
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Useful Plants of Boyacá Project
ColPlantA database
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