balsa

bombax

bombax (bŏmˈbăks), common name for the Bombacaceae, a family of deciduous trees, often tall and with unusually thick trunks, found chiefly in the American tropics. The family includes many commercially important members, e.g., the baobab; the balsa, or corkwood (Ochroma lagopus), which yields the lightest lumber in the world; and the kapok and several species of the genera Bombax and Ceriba whose seed fibers are used as filling material. The Bombacaceae are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Malvales.

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balsa

[′bȯl·sə]

(botany)

Ochroma lagopus. A tropical American tree in the order Malvales; its wood is strong and lighter than cork.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

balsa, corkwood

The lightest of all woods, with density of about 7 to 10 lb per cu ft (110 to 160 kg per cu m); used for the core of lightweight sandwich panels, models, etc.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

balsa

1. a bombacaceous tree, Ochroma lagopus, of tropical America

2. the very light wood of this tree, used for making rafts, etc

3. a light raft

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005