Bombax insigne
Wall.
Malvaceae
Gossampinus insignis (Wall.) Bakh.
Common Name:
General Information
Bombax insigne is a deciduous tree growing up to 30 metres tall.
The tree is harvested from the wild for its timber and fibre.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
Range
E. Asia - India, Nicobar and Andaman Islands, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam.
Habitat
Dry ravines in deciduous forests[
146- Title
- A Manual of Indian Timbers.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gamble. J. S.
- Publisher
- Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- First written in the 19th century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.
]. Lowland jungles[
657- Title
- Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported. Vol. 66
- Publication
- USDA Bureau of Plant Industry
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- USDA Government Printing Office; Washington DC.
- Year
- 1923
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Details of seeds and plants imported for trials by the United States Department of Agriculture in the first quarter of 1921, often detailing the uses of the plant and various other miscellaneous information. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Properties
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Deciduous Tree |
| Height | 25.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Found at elevations up to 900 metres[
]. The plant grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 30 - 35°c, but can tolerate 10 - 43°c[
]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall of 1,500 - 2,500mm, but tolerates 1,000 - 3,750mm[
].
Grows best in a sunny position[
]. Prefers a well-drained, light to medium soil[
]. Established plants are drought tolerant[
]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 6.5, tolerating 5.5 - 7[
].
Plants can survive forest fires[
].
Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
A fibre obtained from the seed floss can be used as a stuffing material or spun[
657- Title
- Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported. Vol. 66
- Publication
- USDA Bureau of Plant Industry
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- USDA Government Printing Office; Washington DC.
- Year
- 1923
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Details of seeds and plants imported for trials by the United States Department of Agriculture in the first quarter of 1921, often detailing the uses of the plant and various other miscellaneous information. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The whitish wood is very light, soft, but more durable than that of Bombax malabaricum[
146- Title
- A Manual of Indian Timbers.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gamble. J. S.
- Publisher
- Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- First written in the 19th century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.
,
549- Title
- Flore Forestiere Du Globe
- Publication
-
- Author
- Chnacerel L.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Gauthier-Villars et Co.; Paris.
- Year
- 1920
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Written in French, a very detailed work on the timbers of the world. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. It is used for making packing cases. It is particularly valued for making matches[
549- Title
- Flore Forestiere Du Globe
- Publication
-
- Author
- Chnacerel L.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Gauthier-Villars et Co.; Paris.
- Year
- 1920
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Written in French, a very detailed work on the timbers of the world. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. It is also good for pulping to make paper, although it is rather difficult to crush[
549- Title
- Flore Forestiere Du Globe
- Publication
-
- Author
- Chnacerel L.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Gauthier-Villars et Co.; Paris.
- Year
- 1920
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Written in French, a very detailed work on the timbers of the world. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
