The lightest in the world is not cork, as many people think, but the lesser known balsa, or balsa. This plant is the only species of the Bombaxaceae subfamily, its scientific name is ochroma pyramidale. Geographical range of its distribution: the tropics of Central and South America. The tree grows on the islands of Trinidad, Cuba, Peru, Ecuador, southern Mexico, Brazil, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Guatemala. Having been transported to Indonesia and India, ochrome took root there too.
Balsa wood
Balsa is a deciduous tree from tropical America. It has a very beautiful wood color. It is practically white, with yellowish or pinkish tints. Balsa is rightfully considered the lightest tree in the world, because its density is no more than 160 kilograms per cubic meter. For comparison: pine has a density of 520, oak has 760, and linden has 550.
Another remarkable property of this tree: when it is first cut down, the wood contains 90 percent moisture. Water quickly dries out in the sun and wind, but the trunk and branches do not turn into dust (like, for example, a baobab tree), but, on the contrary, gain the necessary strength. It is this property that makes balsa wood attractive for industrial needs. Materials made from it weigh little and have excellent sound and vibration absorption properties.
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Where are balsa materials most often used?
We looked at what balsa wood is. Now we’ll find out where materials made from it are most often used. Balsa is very popular among aircraft modellers. And this is understandable. Even if we compare balsa with carbon fiber, wood wins favorably. It is very easy to process and its cost is extremely low. Balsa also has excellent repairability.
If you cut the wood correctly, then when glued together it will last for many years, remaining as strong and reliable as when it was cut. The interesting thing is that upon impact, the loads are absorbed by the material itself. This is also very important in aircraft modeling. This wood makes excellent fishing gear. Balsa wood is often used to make water rescue equipment.
Homeland of the balsa tree
As we have already learned, balsa is in great demand in industry. Now is the time to find out where it comes from. Where does the balsa tree grow? The equatorial part of South America is considered to be the homeland of this unique tree. You can see balsa in Indonesia, Brazil, Thailand, Colombia, Peru, Mexico and many other countries. However, the leader in this list is Ecuador - it is considered the main supplier of balsa wood (more than 95% of the total volume).
The turnover from the sale brings in a lot of money. Wood materials are bought up by both construction companies and tourist shops. They make everything possible from balsa - from simple and durable souvenirs to the most professional surfboards.
Name
The Russian name came from Spanish from Spanish. balsa
- "raft".
Synonyms for the scientific name of the species:
- Bombax angulata Sessé & Moc.
- Bombax angulatum Sessé & Moc.
- Bombax pyramidale Cav. Lam.
- Bombax pyramidatum Steud.
- Ochroma bicolor Rowlee
- Ochroma bolivianum Rowlee
- Ochroma concolor Rowlee
- Ochroma grandiflora Rowlee
- Ochroma lagopus Sw. basiconym
- Ochroma limonense Rowlee
- Ochroma limonensis Rowlee
- Ochroma obtusa Rowlee
- Ochroma obtusum Rowlee
- Ochroma peruvianum IMJohnst.
- Ochroma tomentosum Humb. &Bonpl. ex Willd.
- Ochroma velutina Rowlee
Growth and flowering
It is also noteworthy that balsa is a fast-growing tree. In just 10, at most 15 years, a balsa tree grows up to 30 meters in height. The lifespan of the greenest space is no more than 30 or 40 years. Balsa blooms very beautifully - the first buds appear on it only after three years of life. This usually happens after the rainy season, when the wood has gained enough moisture.
Unlike many plants, the flowers of this tree begin to open their petals in the late afternoon. You can admire fully opened buds only at night - by morning they will close again. It is during the dark hours of the day that pollination occurs - insects are gladly drawn to the sweetish aroma. Most often, pollen is carried by bats, olingos, and kinkajou. During the day, pollination can occur with the help of monkeys. By touching the buds, they willy-nilly knock pollen out of them.
Application on the farm
Balsa wood is widely used on the farm. It is very easy to process. To do this, you just need a thin blade with a small sharpening angle. But balsa practically cannot be colored - it is best to use water-based dyes, which will quickly absorb into the wood. But it is better not to use varnishes and oily substances. They will not stick to wood.
The distinctive qualities of balsa were discovered by the ancient Incas. It was they who began to plan canoes from wood and make light and stable rafts. Wood is considered ideal for making calligraphy brushes. But in shipbuilding, balsa wood is used to construct decks and sides for small pleasure boats (usually not exceeding 30 meters in length, the size of an adult tree). Balsa is also used to make blades for wind turbines. It is probably difficult to come up with a more convenient and lightweight material.
Description
Since ancient times, the lightest wood has been used to make swimming devices. The name of the tree is translated from Spanish as raft. The tree grows very quickly and at the age of 7 years the diameter of its trunk is about 1 meter and its height is more than 20 meters. But only at the age of 15 years does balsa reach its maturity. After the tree has reached its maturity, it begins to grow slowly. Its core absorbs water and over time begins to rot and collapse. Therefore, these trees rarely reach an age of more than 20 years.
Balsa mostly grows singly, sometimes in 2-4 trees, but never in groups. And all for the reason that balsa seeds are very light and volatile. And gusts of wind can carry them hundreds of kilometers away from the mother tree. It is very difficult to extract balsa and it is not easy to process in its raw form. These factors make the lightest wood expensive and rare. High demand and rare technical characteristics of wood have put balsa on the verge of complete destruction.
An adult tree is a real giant with a dense crown. The branches are spreading with palmate leaves. Externally similar to baobab greens. The fruits of the tree are very similar in appearance to cotton bolls. Inside the boxes are small seeds. And the inside of the box is covered with brown down. This fluff is very similar to hare fur. Therefore, balsa is also called by other names - wool tree, hare tree, cottonwood.
Interesting Facts
The hare or wool tree, the cotton tree, is all balsa wood, the description of which would be incomplete without mention of the fruits. Thanks to them, he got such funny names. Balsa fruits are capsules 30 cm long. Inside there are many reddish silky fibers in which the seeds are hidden. When ripening occurs, the capsules burst and expose their “insides.” The fluffy fruits become very similar to hare's feet or warm pieces of a woolen blanket. Hence such interesting names.
It is noteworthy that years earlier, balsa and cotton were classified as the same species. A log of this tree can be easily carried by one person. By the way, the tree does not have growth rings because it grows continuously. And one more thing: it was from this tree that the legendary Kon-Tiki, the ship of the traveler and archaeologist Thor Heyerdahl, was built. And for comparison: balsa wood is 7 times lighter than other trees, and 9 times lighter than water.
Properties of wood
Balsa is highly valued for its lightness and practicality. In dried form, the mass of its wood per 1 cubic meter. m is about 100 kg, which is almost 8 times less than pine or oak. Balsa wood is twice as heavy. An adult can easily carry dried logs with a circumference of 50 cm and a length of about 5 m in his hands.
A living ochrome tree has a humidity of up to 400%, is very soft and heavy, and is very difficult to cut. Axes get stuck in it like rubber. Processing fresh logs also requires a lot of work and skill. Simply left on the ground, a felled tree rots in 2–3 days.
To eliminate moisture, the trunks are lifted and held in an upright position in special dryers. The thickness of the balsa, consisting of many cells filled with juice, thus gets rid of water more easily and quickly. But rapid chamber drying at high temperatures is not always successful, since the capricious material is at risk of cracking, and in addition, it can warp or burn. In Puerto Rico, the initial processing of balsa is done outdoors. Stacks of freshly cut timber are equipped with special gaskets that ensure moisture removal. This method takes at least 4 weeks, but is considered more gentle.
When finished, the wood becomes very durable, while maintaining an unusual softness. The core is more fragile and rigid. Sapwood fibers wrinkle and fill with water very easily. The maximum density of dry balsa is 150 kg/cu. m, which is 4 times less than that of birch. The large porous structure resembles a sponge or a honeycomb; there are no growth rings. Given its relatively low density, hare wood is slightly inferior in strength to oak or pine.
The loose material easily absorbs water; the saturation of samples with it when immersed is about 700%. To reduce the ability to absorb moisture, ochrome is treated with paraffins, water-repellent impregnations, and varnishes.
