Balsa Tree
Ochroma pyramidale
- Habit
- Tree
- Flowering
- February-June
How to identify Balsa Tree
Identify Balsa Tree by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Extremely lightweight wood (balsa).
- Confirm flower colour: Pale yellow-cream.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: February-June.
- Confirm it sits within the Bombacaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Balsa Tree.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Ochroma pyramidale
- Genus
- Ochroma
- Family
- Bombacaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Distribution
- Tropical America
- Flowering & fruiting
- February-June
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Pale yellow-creamrecorded
Characters marked “recorded” are for Balsa Tree itself; the rest are typical of the Bombacaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Tamil
- மிருதுவான மரம்
- Malayalam
- ബാൽസ
About Balsa Tree
Balsa Tree (Ochroma pyramidale) is a tree in the Bombacaceae family. Flowering and fruiting run from February to June.
Uses
In practice it is cut for timber and furniture, tapped for gum or resin and stripped for fibre used in rope and matting.
Bombacaceae
Bombax Or Kapok Family
Balsa Tree belongs to the Bombacaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Bombacaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Balsa Tree or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides