Balsa Flower

Did you know

• Balsa is the fastest-growing tree in the Americas, capable of reaching 60 feet in just 5 years.
• The large bell-shaped flowers open at dusk and are pollinated by bats and large moths.
• Each flower produces up to a tablespoon of nectar per night, one of the highest volumes of any tree flower.
• The wood is famously the lightest commercial timber, used in model aircraft and the Kon-Tiki raft expedition of 1947.
• Despite its soft wood, the living tree has a dense, fibrous bark that protects it from tropical storms.

Color meanings

Uses

• timber
• model building
• bat conservation habitat