Bombax buonopozense

Bombax buonopozense, commonly known as the Gold Coast bombax or red-flowered silk cotton tree, is a tree in the mallow family. It is also known in the Dagbani language as Vabga (plural Vabsi). It is native primarily in West Africa, where it is found in rainforests from Sierra Leone in the northwest, east to Uganda and south to Angola, typically at elevations of 900 to 1200 metres. A large tree, it often reaches heights of 40 metres (130 feet) with buttress roots up to 6 metres (20 feet) in diameter. The bark of younger trees is covered with spines and large, deep pink-to-red flowers emerge while the tree is leafless. Various parts of the plant are used for medicinal purposes, as food, as a source of clothing fibre, as a building material, and as a dye. The fruits are eaten by animals such as the water chevrotain.

Description

A tree which loses its leaves during the year. It grows to 15-40 m tall and spreads to 3 m wide. The trunk is erect and stout. It is swollen in the middle and branches at the top. It has rough spiny bark. The leaves are divided like fingers on a hand. There are 5 bright green leaflets which are oblong and pointed towards the tip. The flowers are deep pink to red. They are 5 cm across. They are bell shaped and have 5 petals. They occur in crowded clusters near the ends of branches. The fruit is a ball shaped capsule.

Edible Uses

The fleshy calyxes are used in soups and sauces. Young fruit are cut and dried then eaten in various meals. Young leaves are dried and eaten as a potherb or in soup. The oil from the seeds is used in cooking.

Traditional Uses

The fleshy calyxes are used in soups and sauces. The young fruit are cut and dried then eaten in various meals. The young leaves are dried and eaten as a potherb. They are also used in soup. The oil from the seeds is used in cooking.

Medicinal Uses

Many parts of the plant are utilised for medicinal and traditional purposes. In Ghana, where it is native, the leaves are common as fodder for domestic livestock. The bark is burnt to produce a smoke that is believed to drive away evil spirits called alizini in Dagbani. The abundant thorns present on the bark are burnt and the resulting charcoal is mixed with butter to treat swelling. Dried gum produced from the tree is used as an incense. Various parts of the plant have also been used as contraceptives or abortifacients. The wood is quite light, which limits its uses to canoes and other implements. A dye can be made from the tannins within the bark, while the cotton-like fibre that covers the seeds is gathered and used as a cotton substitute. It cannot be spun, however, so its use is limited to a stuffing for pillows and clothing. Both the flowers and the young fruits are used in food. Various ethnic groups of northern Ghana such as the Mamprusi and Konkomba people dry and grind the flowers' calyces and use them in a soup (comparable to the use of calyces of the Sahelian red-flowered kapok tree, Bombax costatum).

Known Hazards

The plant is drought and frost tender.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It is native to C. and W. Africa. It does best in soils rich in humus. They need to be well drained. The plants should be in a protected sunny position. It is drought and frost tender. In Nigeria it has been recorded at 240 and 980 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Africa, Asia, Australia, Benin, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, SE Asia, Sierra Leone, Togo, West Africa*,

Cultivation

It is grown from seed.

Other Uses

Seed hairs are useful as packing material for pillows, mattresses etc.

Notes

There are about 8-20 Bombax species. Also put in the family Bombacaceae. In the subfamily Bombacoideae.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Akpu, An-folan, An-ponk-ponk, Disile, Dombi, Fua, Fua-kone, Fula, Gold Coast Bombax, Ikue, Ndombi, Ponpola, Song, Songo, Titii, Togba, Yawumbui

References (23)

• Abbiw, D.K., 1990, Useful Plants of Ghana. West African uses of wild and cultivated plants. Intermediate Technology Publications and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p 41
• Barwick, M., 2004, Tropical and Subtropical Trees. A Worldwide Encyclopedic Guide. Thames and Hudson p 55
• Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 61
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 153
• Dalziel, J. M., 1937, The Useful plants of west tropical Africa. Crown Agents for the Colonies London.

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