The Giant

There is a giant outside my window. This great tree, the Silk-cotton or Kapok towers over the House. It is a native of the Amazon. There it is one of the largest trees of the jungles. Periodically this tree loses its leaves, sometimes from a few branches or from most of the tree. Seeing brown leaves blown from the tree by the wind is one of the most delightful experiences and the new leaves when they appear are a most refreshing padi green.
Sometimes flowers and fruits will be produced after a leaf-drop. The fruits like fat cucumbers are about 15 cm long. When ripe they split to reveal masses of silky cotton with pea shaped seeds hidden within. Fluffy bits of cotton are then carried by the breeze to carpet the grass with bits of cloud. I had collected a jar of them from a past fruiting season - see picture; the black seeds are embedded within the fluffy cotton bits.

This great tree is probably about a hundred years old and has massive buttresses from it base going up to over three metres from the ground. Spreading widely from the tree are large snake-like roots that children delight in playing on. Huge though it is, some leafy branches actually hang down almost to the ground. This giant stands patiently rain or shine and is always a comforting presence and always there.