Bombax is a genus of mainly tropical trees in the mallow family. They are native to western Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, as well as sub-tropical regions of East Asia and northern Australia. Common names for the genus include Silk Cotton Tree, Simal, Red Cotton Tree, Kapok and simply Bombax. In Chinese they are known as Mumian (Chinese: 木棉; pinyin: můmián), meaning "tree cotton". Currently three species are recognised, though many plants have been placed in the genus that were later moved.[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombax