Difference between revisions of "Ochroma"
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| + | |familia=Malvaceae | ||
|genus=Ochroma | |genus=Ochroma | ||
| + | |taxo_author=(Cav. ex Lam.) Urb. | ||
| + | |common_name=Balsa | ||
| + | |habit=tree | ||
| + | |lifespan=perennial | ||
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|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks! | |jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks! | ||
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| + | |image_caption=Ochroma pyramidale | ||
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| + | '''''Ochroma pyramidale''''', commonly known as '''Balsa''', is a species of [[flowering plant]] in the [[Malva|mallow]] family, [[Malvaceae]]. It is a large, fast-growing [[tree]] that can grow up to {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=on|lk=on|sigfig=1}} tall. Balsa trees are native from southern [[Brazil]] and [[Bolivia]] north to southern [[Mexico]] however [[Ecuador]] has been the primary source of commercial Balsa. In recent years some Balsa has been [[plantation]] grown.<ref>United States Department of Agriculture: "The Encyclopedia of Wood", page 1-19. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., 2007</ref> It is [[evergreen]], or dry-season [[deciduous]] if the dry season is long, with large ({{convert|30|-|50|cm|in|abbr=on|disp=/}}) weakly [[Leaf shape|palmately]] lobed leaves. The name ''balsa'' derives from [[Spanish language|Spanish]] for a [[raft]]. Despite being very soft, balsa is classified as a [[hardwood]], and is the softest commercial hardwood. Balsa [[lumber]] is very soft and lightweight. | ||
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Ochroma (named for the paleness of the fls.). Bombacaceae. One tree of Trop. Amer., allied to Ceiba: Lvs. simple, angled or lobed: fls. large, terminal, p. Lagopus, Swartz, is listed abroad but hardly a horticultural subject: it is the corkwood or balsa of the W. Indies, from which canoes and other things are made, the wood being very light, the bark yielding fiber: tree to 40 ft. high: Lvs. 5-7-lobed or only angular, nearly entire or dentate, puberulous beneath: petals 5-6 in. long, yellowish white or brownish, somewhat surpassing the column of stamens, obovate and wavy, clawed; calyx 5-lobed, subtended by a caducous involucre of 3 parts; stamens comprising a column which is topped by 1-celled anthers; stigma 5, exserted, spiral: caps. 1 in. long, 5-celled, with reddish brown wool inside. | Ochroma (named for the paleness of the fls.). Bombacaceae. One tree of Trop. Amer., allied to Ceiba: Lvs. simple, angled or lobed: fls. large, terminal, p. Lagopus, Swartz, is listed abroad but hardly a horticultural subject: it is the corkwood or balsa of the W. Indies, from which canoes and other things are made, the wood being very light, the bark yielding fiber: tree to 40 ft. high: Lvs. 5-7-lobed or only angular, nearly entire or dentate, puberulous beneath: petals 5-6 in. long, yellowish white or brownish, somewhat surpassing the column of stamens, obovate and wavy, clawed; calyx 5-lobed, subtended by a caducous involucre of 3 parts; stamens comprising a column which is topped by 1-celled anthers; stigma 5, exserted, spiral: caps. 1 in. long, 5-celled, with reddish brown wool inside. | ||
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<gallery perrow=5> | <gallery perrow=5> | ||
| + | Image:Ochroma pyramidalis MS 3425.jpg|Balsa on [[Bota Hill]], [[Limbe Botanical Garden]], [[Cameroon]] | ||
| + | Image:Ochroma pyramidale1FrancesWHorne.jpg|Painting by [[Frances W. Horne]] from the [[Flora Borinqueña]] | ||
Image:Upload.png| photo 1 | Image:Upload.png| photo 1 | ||
Image:Upload.png| photo 2 | Image:Upload.png| photo 2 | ||
Latest revision as of 19:56, 22 February 2010
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| Lifespan: | ⌛ | perennial |
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Ochroma > |
If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
Ochroma pyramidale, commonly known as Balsa, is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is a large, fast-growing tree that can grow up to 30 m ft tall. Balsa trees are native from southern Brazil and Bolivia north to southern Mexico however Ecuador has been the primary source of commercial Balsa. In recent years some Balsa has been plantation grown.[1] It is evergreen, or dry-season deciduous if the dry season is long, with large (30 - 50 cm) weakly palmately lobed leaves. The name balsa derives from Spanish for a raft. Despite being very soft, balsa is classified as a hardwood, and is the softest commercial hardwood. Balsa lumber is very soft and lightweight.
Read about Ochroma in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Ochroma (named for the paleness of the fls.). Bombacaceae. One tree of Trop. Amer., allied to Ceiba: Lvs. simple, angled or lobed: fls. large, terminal, p. Lagopus, Swartz, is listed abroad but hardly a horticultural subject: it is the corkwood or balsa of the W. Indies, from which canoes and other things are made, the wood being very light, the bark yielding fiber: tree to 40 ft. high: Lvs. 5-7-lobed or only angular, nearly entire or dentate, puberulous beneath: petals 5-6 in. long, yellowish white or brownish, somewhat surpassing the column of stamens, obovate and wavy, clawed; calyx 5-lobed, subtended by a caducous involucre of 3 parts; stamens comprising a column which is topped by 1-celled anthers; stigma 5, exserted, spiral: caps. 1 in. long, 5-celled, with reddish brown wool inside.
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Cultivation
Propagation
Pests and diseases
Varieties
Gallery
Balsa on Bota Hill, Limbe Botanical Garden, Cameroon
Painting by Frances W. Horne from the Flora Borinqueña
photo 1
photo 2
photo 3
References
- ↑ United States Department of Agriculture: "The Encyclopedia of Wood", page 1-19. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., 2007
- Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
External links
- w:Ochroma. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
- Ochroma QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)
