Not sure about the species, but that makes sense. The grain and backing clearly have a big role. I use 3M backed and that let's them bend pretty good, but 90 degrees is too much unless you bull-nose it.
A truly skilled friend of mine uses pure wood veneers, no backing. He says if you wet it correctly and do certain steps you can bend any veneer to any shape. But he makes beds from 3" thick mahogany, so I am not about to say 'just do it like he does'.


Panny 3000 PJ, 118" Carada, Denon 3300, PS3, Axiom QS8, PSB 5T, B&W sub, levitating speaker wire