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An.1684
Cotton-trees.
much bigger and taller than our Oaks: The body is streight and clear from knots or boughs to the very head: there it spreads forth many great limbs just like an Oak. The Bark is smooth and of a grey co- lour: the Leaves are as big as a large Plumb Leaf, jogged at the edge; they are oval, smooth, and of a dark green colour. Some of these Trees have their bodies much bigger 18 or 20 foot high, than nearer the ground, being big-bellied like Nine-pins. They bear a very fine sort of Cotton, called Silk Cotton. When this Cotton is ripe the Trees appear like our Apple-trees in England, when full of Blossoms. If I do not mistake, the Cotton falls down in November, or December: then the ground is covered white with it. This is not substantial and continuous, like that which grows upon the Cotton-shrubs, in Plantati- ons, but like the Down of Thistles; so that I did never know any use made of it in the West Indies, be- cause it is not worth the labour of gathering it: but in the East Indies the natives gather and use it for Pillows. It hath a small black Seed among it. The Leaves of this Tree fall off the beginning of April; while the old Leaves are falling off the young ones spring out, and in a weeks time the Tree casts off her old Robes, and is cloathed in a new pleasant garb. The red Cotton-tree is like the other, but hardly so big: it bears no Cotton, but its Wood is somewhat harder of the two, yet both sorts are soft spungy Wood, fit for no use that I know, but only for Canoas, which being streight and tall they are very good for; but they will not last long, especi- ally if not drawn ashore often and tarred; other- wise the Worm and the Water soon rot them. They are the biggest Trees, or perhaps Weeds rather, in the West Indies. They are common in the East and West Indies in good fat Land.
As the Cotton is the biggest Tree in the Woods, so the Cabbage-tree is the tallest: The Body is not very