Ochroma pyramidale (Cav. ex Lam.) Urb., Malvaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 8 (Go to the risk assessment).

Other Latin names:  Ochroma lagopus Sw.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: balsa, corkwood, down tree

Spanish: balsa

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Monoecious evergreen trees to 30 m or more tall.  Innovations densely stellate-hairy.  Twigs terete, rapidly glabrescent, 7-10 mm diameter, smooth but for petiole and stipule scars.  Leaves simple, spirally arranged towards the ends of the twigs; lamina broadly cordate, 10-26 x 14-30 cm, thin coriaceous ± entire or angularly lobed, apex obtuse to acuminate, base rounded to cordate, persistently densely stellate-tomentose below, glabrescent above, midrib and main veins slightly raised to sulcate above, strongly prominent below; venation 5-7-palmate at the base, midvein with 4-6 lateral veins; petiole ± terete, 2-4 mm diameter, 12-20 cm long, moderately stellate-tomentose even on mature leaves, ± dilated apically; stipules ± deltoid, to 10 mm long, densely tomentose, caducous.  Flowers solitary, lateral or axillary, on a stout ± fleshy pedicel 7 mm diameter and ± 10 cm long.  Calyx tubular to funnel-shaped, to 7 cm long, apically with 5 dilated lobes 1.5-2 cm long, appearing deeply carinate externally in dried material, externally stellate-tomentose, internally wooly, decurrent with pedicel and subtended by 3 caducous bracteoles that leave prominent scars.  Petals 5, contorted in bud, orange-yellow, clavate, 13 x 5 cm, externally stellate-tomentose, glabrescent basally, internally glabrous. Stamens connate into a glabrous tube 11 cm long, the distal half being slightly dilated and densely covered with sessile long wavy anthers.  Ovary sessile, glabrous, conical, ± 8 cm high, 5-locular; style 15 cm long with an apical twisted cylindrical stigmatic mass 3 cm long and 8 mm wide.  Capsule ± cylindrical, ellipsoid, slightly curved, longitudinally sulcate, loculicidal, 15 cm long and 8 mm wide; seeds black, embedded in a mass of woolly hairs"  (Henty, 1981; pp. 16-18).

Habitat/ecology:  In Papua New Guinea, "a lowland species that seeds freely and has established itself in areas near Lae and Madang.  However, its spread is likely to be restricted to areas where it is introduced as a plantation species"  (Henty, 1981; p. 18).  Moist uplands in the Galápagos Islands (McMullen, 1999; pp. 47-48). In Jamaica, locally common in disturbed sheltered moderately wet areas, 500-1500 (-3000) feet (Adams, 1972; p. 394).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Southern Mexico to Bolivia (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 196).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Isabela Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcán Sierra Negra, Isabela Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 412) Voucher cited: Howard 110
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Fatu Hiva Island	introduced	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 94) "Potential invader".
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Fatu Hiva Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J. (2004) (p. 228)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Fatu Hiva Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2013)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Fatu Hiva Island	probably introduced invasive cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Vouchers cited: F. Hallé 2152 (PAP), J. Florence, D.H. Lorence & W.L. Wagner 9517 (PAP) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Fatu Hiva Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2003) (voucher ID: PTBG 39362) Taxon name on voucher: Ochroma pyramidale
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Fatu Hiva Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2003) (voucher ID: PTBG 39545) Taxon name on voucher: Ochroma pyramidale
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J. (2004) (p. 228)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2013)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced cultivated	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (pp. 52-53)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 94) "Potential invader".
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (pp. 52-53) Voucher cited: BRY 26346
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J. (2004) (p. 228)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawaiian Islands	cultivated	Neal, Marie C. (1965)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 23) Vouchers cited: Blanchon 1640 (NOU), MacKee 30213
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (2010) (p. 33) "Cultivated, Ngerderar River at old Japanese Expl. Stn.".
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Babeldaob Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1996) (voucher ID: BISH 650430) Taxon name on voucher: Ochroma pyramidale (Cav. ex Lam.) Urb.
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	introduced invasive	Henty, E. E., ed. (1981) (pp. 16-18)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	introduced	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 94)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	El Salvador (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 64) Cultivated only
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Colombia	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Invasive Species Specialist Group (2017)

Comments:  Escaped from botanical garden on Tahiti.

Control:  If you know of control methods for Ochroma pyramidale, please let us know.