Devil's Cotton

---

Description

Shrub to small tree to 10 m tall. Leaf simple, 8-28 cm long, base heart-shaped and tri-nerved. Flowers solitary, pendulous, dark red or purple with whitish base, 1.5-2.5 cm long. Fruits top-shaped with 5 deep ridges, splitting with long irritant hairs along margins, 2.5-3 cm long.

---

Ecology

Scattered distribution in lowland evergreen forest.

---

Distribution

Widespread in N.E. India, Bangladesh, S. China, Thailand, Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and N. Australia.

---

Uses

The silky fibres from the bark are very strong and used to make cordage and fishing nets.