Kapok tree

The poilão – a giant tree with roots like walls, believed to be the home of spirits; in many villages no one would dare to fell it.

The kapok tree is one of the tallest trees in Africa – it reaches 50–60 m, and its trunk is propped up by massive buttress roots. Young trunks and branches are covered in conical spines. In the dry season the tree sheds its leaves and flowers, and then produces fruits filled with a light, fluffy fibre – kapok – used to stuff pillows and life jackets. Its soft wood is hollowed out to make dugout canoes.

Significance in the country

In Guinea-Bissau the poilão is a sacred tree: according to the beliefs of the Bijagó, Papel and Balanta peoples, ancestral spirits and guardian irãs dwell in it, and rituals are held beneath its crown. Huge poilões serve as village landmarks and are an informal symbol of the country.

Where it grows

Throughout the country – from the Bijagós islands and the coast to the savannas of the Bafatá and Gabú regions; the most impressive specimens grow beside sacred groves and in village centres.

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