bild

Roots of a kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) growing over the ruins of a temple. Buttress roots provide the tree with support. The kapok or silk- cotton tree is a large deciduous tree. The mature seedpods contain a cotton-like substance that can be used for padding in the clothing industry, but has now largely been replaced by synthetic materials. The roots of this tree have followed the form of the temple in an effort to find the ground. Photographed at Angkor, Cambodia. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/DICCON ALEXANDER)