Scientific name: Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn.
Vern: Silk-cotton tree, kapok tree (En); kapokboom (Du); fromager (Fr); ceiba (Sp)
Local: kankantrie (Sr); silk-cotton tree (GU); sumaúma (BrP)
Indig: kumaka (Tr)
Growth Form: Trees & shrubs
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Notes: Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn. (family Malvaceae, formerly Bombacaceae) is an apex canopy giant of the Neotropical rainforest. Capable of reaching heights of over 60 meters with massive, spreading crowns that emerge well above the forest canopy, it is one of the most structurally dominant and ecologically complex trees in the Americas.
In Suriname and French Guiana, the Kankantri holds an immense, sacred status within Maroon (Saamaka, Aukan) and Afro-Surinamese traditional spiritual practices (Winti).
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Abode of Spirits: It is widely recognized as a Kromanti tree—a dwelling place for powerful forest deities and ancestral spirits.
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Forest Taboo: Historically, and continuing into modern forestry practices, a sacred Kankantri is strictly protected. Traditional loggers and community members will refuse to fell a mature Kankantri due to the spiritual consequences of disturbing the resident entities. When logging roads or concessions encounter a giant specimen, the paths are actively routed around the tree.