Malvaceae
Bombax

Bombax buonopozense P.Beauv.

First published in Fl. Oware 2: 42 (1816)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Tropical Africa to SW. Uganda and Angola. It is a tree and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Bombacaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Morphology General Habit
Large tree of forest regions, to 120 ft. high
Morphology General Bark
Bark with stout conical spines mainly on the younger branches
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx yellowish-green
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals deep pink or red
Note
Flowering when leafless.
[FWTA]

Bombacaceae, H. Beentje (East African Herbarium). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Tree to 40 m. high, with a long clear bole and large buttresses to 6 m. high; bark grey, with blunt conical spines to 3 cm. long on trunk and sometimes on young branches; branches in whorls, forming a layered crown.
Morphology Branches
Branchlets glabrous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 5-7(-9)-foliate; petiole 22-24 cm. long; petiolules 0.7-2 cm. long; leaflets obovate, 8-23 cm. long, 3-7.5 cm. wide, caudate-acuminate at the apex, cuneate to decurrent at the base, glabrous to sparsely puberulous beneath; secondary veins in 15-25 pairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences of axillary fascicles of 2-6 flowers, or flowers solitary; flowers often present when the tree is leafless; pedicel 10-25 mm. long, glabrous or puberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx cupuliform and truncate or undulate, 10-16 mm. long, 25-45 mm. wide, glabrous to stellate-tomentellous outside, silky-villous inside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals oblong, obtuse or rounded at the apex, 5.5-9.5 cm. long, 2.5-3.7 cm. wide, orange or red, puberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens many, 3.5-4.5 cm. long, the filaments united at their base into a tube of 5-8 mm.; filaments pubescent towards the base and grouped in an outer whorl of 5 bundles and an inner whorl of 5 pairs; anthers 2-2.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary conical, 5-8 mm. high, 4-5 mm. across at the base, glabrous; style 4-5 cm. long; stigma with reflexed lobes.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit oblong, 5-ridged (when young) to 5-angular (when mature), obtuse at the apex and the base, 8-18 cm. long, 3.5-6 cm. across, dark brown or black.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds pyriform, 5-6 mm. across, dark brown, covered with white woolly indument.
Habitat
Rain-forest; 900-1200 m.
Distribution
widespread in West and Central Africa, from Sierra Leone to Angola and Zaire U2
[FTEA]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/144306050/149039826

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Common Names

English
Gold Coast Bombax

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0