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 known in the Dagbani language as Vabga (plural: Vabsi).

It is native primarily to West Africa, found in rainforests from Sierra Leone east to Uganda and south to Angola, typically at elevations of 900–1200 metres. A large tropical tree, it often reaches 40 metres (130 feet) in height with buttress roots up to 6 metres (20 feet) in diameter. The bark of younger trees is spiny, and large deep pink-to-red flowers emerge when the tree is leafless.

Parts of the plant are used for medicinal, culinary, textile, dye, and construction purposes. Its fruits are also eaten by animals such as the water chevrotain.

Description

• A large tropical pioneer species that grows up to 40 m tall.
• Buttress roots spread up to 6 m in diameter.
• Bark: Spiny when young; large conical spines shed with age.
• Branches: Arranged in whorls.
• Leaves: Compound, with 5–9 leaflets, each 8–23 cm long × 3–7.5 cm wide, on petioles 14–22 cm long.
  • Leaf undersides: Either glabrous or puberulous.
• Flowers:
  • Appear when tree is leafless.
  • Solitary or in small axillary cymes.
  • Calyx: Truncate, cup-shaped (1–1.6 cm high), deciduous.
  • Petals: Deep pink or red, 5.5–9.5 cm long × 2.5–3.7 cm wide.
  • Stamens: Numerous, in two whorled bundles.
  • Note: Flowers hold rainwater and support aquatic creatures.
• Fruits: Oblong, 8–18 cm long × 3.5–6 cm diameter, glabrous, ridged or angular, and loculicidal (split open at maturity).
• Seeds: Numerous, 5–6 mm long, with woolly indument (cotton-like fibre).

Subspecies

1. Bombax buonopozense subsp. buonopozense

   • Distribution: Sierra Leone to Uganda and Angola
   • Synonyms:
     • Bombax angulicarpum Ulbr.
     • Bombax buesgenii Ulbr.
     • Bombax buonopozense var. cristata A.Chev.
     • Bombax flammeum Ulbr.
     • Gossampinus angulicarpa (Ulbr.) Bakh.
     • Gossampinus buesgenii (Ulbr.) Bakh.
     • Gossampinus flammea (Ulbr.) Bakh.

2. Bombax buonopozense subsp. reflexum (Sprague) A.Robyns

   • Distribution: Cameroon and Central African Republic to Angola
   • Synonyms:
     • Bombax buonopozense var. velutinum Robyns
     • Bombax reflexum Sprague
     • Gossampinus reflexa (Sprague) Bakh.

Uses

• Medicinal:

  • Bark smoke used to repel evil spirits (alizini, Dagbani culture).
  • Burnt thorns mixed with butter to treat swelling.
  • Gum used as incense.
  • Various parts used as contraceptives or abortifacients.

• Livestock feed:

  • Leaves commonly used as fodder in Ghana.

• Timber:

  • Wood is light; used for canoes and basic implements.

• Fibre:

  • Seed fibre used as cotton substitute for stuffing (pillows, clothing).
  • Not suitable for spinning.

• Dye:

  • Bark tannins yield natural dye.

• Food:

  • Flowers and young fruits are edible.
  • In northern Ghana, Mamprusi and Konkomba people dry and grind the flower calyces to make soup (similar to Bombax costatum).

References

Further Reading

• Robyns, A. (1970). Répartition géographique de Bombacaceae d'Afrique tropicale.
  Bulletin du Jardin Botanique National de Belgique, 40(4), 301–306.
  DOI:10.2307/3667576(https://doi.org/10.2307/3667576)
  JSTOR 3667576