Ochroma pyramidale, commonly known as the balsa tree, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus Ochroma. The tree is famous for its wide usage in woodworking, due to its softness and its high strength compared to its low density. The name balsa is the Spanish word for "raft."
Ochroma
Balsa on Bota Hill, Limbe Botanical Garden, Cameroon
Three different sizes of balsa wood stock
Painting by Frances W. Horne from the Flora Borinqueña
Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood contrasts with softwood.
Beech is a popular hardwood
SEM images showing the presence of pores in hardwoods (oak, top) and absence in softwoods (pine, bottom)