In the early winter days, anyone who passes by Doi Can street in the capital city of Hanoi is attracted by blooming floss silk flowers. The flowers are creamy-whitish in the centre and pink towards the tips of their five petals. They measure 10 to 15 centimetres in diameter and their shape is superficially similar to hibiscus flowers. Their nectar is known to attract insect pollinators, as well as hummingbirds. The silk floss flowers blooming season starts in September and lasts until the end of February. They have a gentle but seductive fragrance that is captivating for passers-by. What makes this tree special is that every time the flowers bloom, the leaves fall off. (Photo: Vietnam Plus) 
Floss silk tree (Chorisia speciosa), is a species of deciduous tree native to the tropical and subtropical forests of South America. It belongs to the same family as the kapok tree. In Asia, the tree is very popular in China, Singapore and Vietnam. The tree is multiplied and cultivated mostly for ornamental purposes at villas and recreation centres as it has strong foliage and is not affected by pests and diseases. It is also cultivated especially for its very beautiful pink flowers. When the flowers bloom, the leaves fall off very quickly. The tree reaches a maximum height of 10 metres and a diameter of 1 metre. (Photo: Vietnam Plus) 
According to local residents, these silk floss trees were planted in 2007 on the premise of Super Hotel Candle at No 287-301 Doi Can street in the capital city of Hanoi. The trunk is often studded with large conical thorns. The trunks of young trees are somewhat green in colour and mature to gray. The palmately compound leaves have five to seven leaflets with toothed margins. The large showy flowers have five pink to pink-purple petals that are usually white to yellow at the base and spotted with brown. The fruit is a capsule filled with black seeds with white cotton-like fibres. (Photo: Vietnam Plus) 
The advantage of silk floss tree (Nymph) is that it grows quickly and has a wide canopy that makes them excellent street trees. In Vietnam, the trees are being cultivated in big cities such as Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City. Hanoi authorities are trying to plant more trees in the city, especially in urban areas, in an effort to improve the environment and reduce air pollution. This is also part of its actions to respond to the Government's programme on growing 1 billion trees in Vietnam during the 2021 – 2025 period. The city has set a plan to plant 200,000-250,000 new trees for shade and timber trees along urban traffic routes this year. (Photo: Vietnam Plus) 
The plant is native to the Amazon Rainforest in South America, more specifically, in the north-east region of Argentina, Eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The silk floss tree was brought up to the United States and many other countries to be planted for decorative purposes. The tree grows well in response to full sun and copious amounts of moisture in the soil, and proliferates when kept dry towards late summer time. Depending on the climate and soil conditions, they may reach a potential 25 metres in height. Their flowers bloom for a long time, leaving a gentle fragrance in the surrounding environment. (Photo: Vietnam Plus) 
There are several colours of silk floss tree flowers but dark pink and white are the most popular ones. The tree has hibiscus-like flowers that make it look very distinct. Flowers can grow to 10-15 centimetres wide. Their fruits are lignous ovoid capsules, 20 centimetres long, which contain bean-sized black seeds surrounded by a mass of cotton-like fibres. Although not as good quality as that of the kapok tree, these fibres have been used as stuffing. In addition to its graceful beauty, this plant also has a profound meaning. It is expected to bring peace, happiness and goodness to people. With its bulging trunk, exotic flowers and pear-sized seeds, the tree is unique. (Photo: Vietnam Plus) 
The trunk of silk floss trees is about 50cm in diameter on average and can be larger if grown in an ideal environment. The immature trees will have green bark, which will eventually turn gray as they age. This green coloration has the biological trait of allowing the tree to continue photosynthesis while defoliated. The trunk is densely covered with sharp prickles that defend the tree from climbing wildlife. In addition to decorative purposes, growers can use wood to make canoes, as wood pulp, and to make paper. The bark has been used to make ropes. From the seeds, it is possible to obtain vegetable oil. (Photo: Vietnam Plus) 
As a deciduous tree, it is completely bare of leaves when the flowers are blooming, making it hard to mistake the silk floss for any other plant. The flowers are creamy-whitish in the centre and pink towards the tips of their five petals. They measure 10 to 15 centimetres in diameter and their shape is superficially similar to hibiscus flowers. The silk floss flowers blooming season starts in September and lasts until the end of February. These trees can be commonly found in the tropical/subtropical areas of South America, but also now can be found in other parts of the world as a decorative tree due to their colorful flowers. (Photo: Vietnam Plus) 
Being a drought-tolerant plant and can withstand harsh climate conditions give silk floss great potential to expand in Vietnam. The selling price of this type of tree is varied, depending on the age of the tree. It may cost a few hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese dong for a young sapling but up to 1 million VND (40 USD) for between one and two-year-old tree. In particular, people have to pay 15-20 million VND for those that are more than ten years old with big sizes and many flowers. It is a good choice for a landscape design if you are in need of an exciting and unique tree that is large in scale, fast-growing, and has definite ornamental appeal. (Photo: Vietnam Plus) 
Silk floss flowers have created a romantic beauty for a corner of Doi Can street. The capital city of Hanoi wants to plant more trees along its urban roads and has set a goal of 250,000 trees this year. Pham Van Dong, Vo Chi Cong, Van Cao, Hoang Quoc Viet, and Thang Long Boulevard are some of the streets that now have a greener look by the addition of trees. This initiative aims to help achieve the Government's ambition to plant 1 billion trees throughout the period 2021-2025. Numerous environmentalists have voiced support for the need of increasing tree coverage in Hanoi's metropolitan core and other areas. (Photo: Vietnam Plus) 
In the blooming season, almost all the leaves on the silk floss tree fall down, leaving only the beautiful flower clusters. Besides Doi Can street, these trees are also found in Tuoi Tre (Youth) Park in Hanoi’s Hai Ba Trung district. It is a species of deciduous tree native to the tropical and subtropical forests of South America. The tree is resistant to drought and moderate cold. It grows fast in spurts when water is abundant and sometimes reaches more than 25 metres in height. The floss silk tree is cultivated mostly for ornamental purposes. Outside of private gardens around the world, it is often planted along urban streets in Spain, South Africa, Australia, and northern New Zealand. (Photo: Vietnam Plus) VNA
