Equatorial Guinea: Ceiba Trees
Ceiba tree is the national tree of Equatorial Guinea – it’s featured prominently on the country’s flag and coat of arms, the national airline is Ceiba, as is the main bank. The trees (aka Kapoks or Ceiba pentandra) are truly spectacular, shooting up into the sky to the heights of 250 feet or 75 meters – that’s a 20 story building! Its trunk has a massive buttress that grounds the tree and roots go deep another 150 feet. The trunk has thorns on it but is otherwise bare with no branches all the way to the top where a large crown of canopy opens up in an umbrella-like shape. Basically, these are like sequoias of Equatorial Guinea. The trees are protected by the state and there is a &1 million US dollar fine for cutting one.
