Anyone walking through Tiberius cannot fail to notice the rounded silk floss trees with their unique green trunk that line the city's main street. Chorisa speciosa, commonly known as the silk floss tree, is considered one of the most beautiful trees in the world and grows in the jungles of Paraguay and northern Argentina. When in full bloom, clouds of large, flimsy lily-like pink flowers cascade from its green branches. Another one of the tree's distinctive features is the wicked-looking array of stout spines that crowd around the trunk, which can protrude by a number of centimeters near the base. The green trunks allow the tree to photosynthesize when leaves are absent, and the spikes prevent animals from eating it.
The silk floss tree is a rounded, briefly deciduous tree that sheds its leaves during dry seasons in order to conserve moisture. It can grow rapidly the first few years and then slow considerably. Once established, it is pest resistive and drought tolerant. The inedible fruit has the general appearance of large green-colored avocados with the texture of a juicy cucumber. When mature, the fruit splits open, releasing masses of white silky kapok-like material that is used primarily as fillers for mattresses, pillows, upholstery, softballs and life preservers. A kapok-filled life jacket can support 30 times its own weight in water.