The Vanishing Silk Cotton Tree: Mumbai’s Forgotten Native Giant

Walk through Mumbai’s leafy lanes during early summer, and you might spot a burst of pinkish-red flowers scattered across the ground, like nature’s own Holi celebration. Look up, and you’ll find the source of a towering Silk Cotton Tree, also known as the Semal or Bombax ceiba. Once a proud and common sight in Mumbai’s landscape, this native tree now stands as a fading symbol of the city’s natural heritage, quietly disappearing amid concrete towers and ornamental greenery. On World Cotton Day, Local Samosa talks about the mighty Semal or Silk Cotton Tree and the need to conserve it. 

Native of the City Before It Was a City

Long before Mumbai became a bustling metropolis, the Silk Cotton Tree was a part of its wild, untamed terrain. Native to tropical and subtropical parts of India, including the western coastal belt, Bombax ceiba thrived in the region’s warm, humid climate. In the early days, when the city was still a cluster of seven islands, these trees dominated open fields, village boundaries, and forest patches — serving as shade, landmarks, and resting places.

Old accounts and colonial records describe the Silk Cotton Tree as one of the most eye-catching native species of the region. With its tall, straight trunk, thorny bark, and brilliant scarlet flowers that bloom just before the leaves return, it painted a stunning picture against Mumbai’s blue skies. The tree could grow up to 30 metres tall, making it one of the city’s natural giants. The Silk Cotton Tree has long held cultural and ecological importance in Indian life. The tree’s cotton-like fibre, or semal floss, was traditionally used for stuffing pillows, mattresses, and quilts — soft, airy, and natural before synthetic fibres took over. The wood, though light, was used for crafting matchsticks, toys, and more.

In Indian mythology, the Semal tree is often considered sacred. Its majestic height and fiery blossoms have been linked with resilience and vitality. Villages across Maharashtra and beyond once planted Semal near temples or along boundaries, believing it brought good fortune and acted as a protector. Ecologically, the tree is a boon. Its large, nectar-filled flowers attract birds, bees, and bats, making it a hub for urban biodiversity. Parakeets, mynas, and sunbirds are often seen hovering around its branches, while fruit bats visit at night. Its blooming period, just before summer, also provides one of the last big feasts for pollinators before the dry season. But despite all this, the Semal is slowly disappearing.

The Vanishing Act

In the last few decades, Mumbai’s skyline — and treeline — have changed drastically. As open spaces, gardens, and native forest patches gave way to roads and real estate, trees like the Silk Cotton Tree began losing ground. The city’s greening efforts, though well-intentioned, often replaced native species with fast-growing exotic trees like Rain Trees, Gulmohars, and Cassias, which provided instant shade and aesthetic appeal.

Unlike these ornamental imports, the Silk Cotton Tree requires space and patience. Its towering height and spiky trunk don’t fit neatly into compact urban landscapes or beautification drives. As a result, city planners and gardeners gradually stopped planting it. Over time, many of the older trees died natural deaths or were removed during road-widening and construction projects. Today, only a few scattered pockets of Mumbai still host mature Silk Cotton Trees — in parts of Dadar’s Five Gardens, Sion Fort, Jogeshwari’s Aarey Colony, and Sanjay Gandhi National Park and a few more regions in the city. 

Native species are vital for maintaining the local ecology. They are adapted to the soil, rainfall, and climate patterns of the region, requiring less maintenance and water than exotic trees. More importantly, they support native insects, birds, and small mammals that have co-evolved with them over centuries. When cities replace native trees with non-native ones, they inadvertently break the natural web of life. Fewer pollinators visit these imported trees, which in turn affects bird populations and the overall biodiversity. The absence of the Silk Cotton Tree also means fewer nesting spaces and food sources for several bird species that depend on it.

Reviving the Lost Giants

There’s still hope, though. In recent years, environmental groups and citizen initiatives have started pushing for native tree restoration in Mumbai. Organisations like Vruksha Foundation, Green Yatra, and Friends of Aarey have highlighted the importance of bringing back species like the Semal, Banyan, and Peepal.

Some rewilding projects within Aarey, SGNP, and Goregaon’s Chhota Kashmir are attempting to reintroduce these native giants. Tree lovers and ecologists argue that a true “green city” isn’t about the number of trees but about planting the right ones — those that belong to the land.

But the Semal’s story also holds a warning: that in the race for development and aesthetics, we may be losing more than we realise. Mumbai’s native trees are its living history — deeply rooted in its soil, culture, and climate. Reviving them isn’t just about beautifying the city; it’s about restoring its memory and giving its original flora a rightful place once again and where it belongs. 

Silk Cotton in the Marketplace: A Fibre with Growing Relevance

Interestingly, the story of the Silk Cotton Tree doesn’t end with its fading presence in Mumbai’s skyline. Its fibre — known commercially as kapok — is finding new relevance in today’s sustainable markets. Globally, the demand for natural fibres is on the rise, and kapok is being rediscovered for its softness, lightness, and eco-friendly nature.

Market studies show that the global kapok fibre industry is steadily growing, riding on the wave of sustainable and biodegradable materials. In India, the broader natural fibre market is already worth several billion dollars and continues to expand as conscious consumers and brands look for alternatives to synthetics. While kapok remains a niche product, its potential lies in its unique properties — renewable, chemical-free, and completely biodegradable.

Kapok is being positioned as a natural replacement for synthetic fibres in clothes, cushions, mattresses, and furnishings. Its fibres are hollow, making them lightweight and naturally insulating, while their waxy coating keeps them moisture-resistant and hypoallergenic. Unlike synthetic materials or even animal-based down, harvesting kapok doesn’t harm the tree — the pods are simply collected after they mature and burst open. This has turned the humble Semal fibre into a symbol of mindful living. 

Brands Bringing Kapok Back

A growing number of brands are now turning to kapok for their collections and products. In Mumbai, Fusion Clothing has experimented with organic kapok blended with cotton for sustainable apparel. Internationally, outdoor gear companies have begun using kapok insulation as a cruelty-free and plastic-free alternative to down feathers. Here are a few Indian brands you need to look out for: 

Pikkow 

Pikkow, founded by Sameer Khan, the brand Pikkow offers premium quality kapok or silk cotton tree fibre in their mattresses, bed covers, pillows and more. The brand is known for its finest quality of kapok. 

Thuyill Mattress

Thuyill Mattress is another brand that offers an extensive range of mattresses, pillows, bed covers, bed duvets, quilts and more. Their product are made from high-quality kapok that is harvested directly from the farm. The brand also offers customised mattresses for every individual. 

Sohum Linen 

Sohum Linen was founded by Chaman Garg and Raunak Garg, is based in Siliguri. The brand offers a wide range of products such as hotel linen, luxury bedding, and bath sheets. These are made from the finest quality of kapok cotton. 

Nivedha Mattress

Nivedha Mattress is an Indian brand based out of Pondicherry and is known for its use of Kapok in its mattresses, bed foams, pillows and more. Other than 100% Kapok mattresses, the brand also specialises in Silk Cotton, Ilavan Mattresses and other Kapok products. 

Kanna Mattress

Kanna Mattress are crafting eco-conscious bedding using pure kapok or semal cotton. These products promise the comfort of traditional filling with the ethics of modern sustainability — no foam, no synthetics, and no plastic waste.

As Mumbai rediscovers its native roots, brands reviving the Silk Cotton Tree prove that sustainability isn’t just a story of the past; it’s a business opportunity for the future. The Semal may be centuries old, but its fibre could well weave the next chapter of India’s green economy