Dalbergia sissoo

<h2 id="description">Description</h2>
Dalbergia sissoo is a medium to large deciduous tree with a light crown, which reproduces by seeds and <a href="/facts/Basal_shoot/4F4ekjaQ">suckers</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2">2</a> It can grow up to 25 m (82 ft) in height and 2 to 3 m (6 ft 7 in to 9 ft 10 in) in diameter, but is usually smaller. Trunks are often crooked when grown in the open. Leaves are leathery, alternate, pinnately compound, and about 15 cm (5.9 in) long. Flowers are whitish to pink, fragrant, nearly sessile, up to 1.5 cm (0.59 in) long, and in dense clusters 5 to 10 cm (2.0 to 3.9 in) in length. Pods are oblong, flat, thin, strap-like, 4 to 8 cm (1.6 to 3.1 in) long, 1 cm (0.39 in) wide, and light brown. They contain one to five flat, bean-shaped seeds, 8 to 10 mm (0.31 to 0.39 in) long. They have a long taproot and numerous surface roots that produce suckers. Young shoots are downy and drooping; established stems have light brown to dark gray bark, up to 2.5 cm (0.98 in) thick, shed in narrow strips; large upper branches support a spreading crown.

<h2 id="distribution-and-habitat">Distribution and habitat</h2>
Dalbergia sissoo is native to the foothills of the Himalayas ranging from Afghanistan in the west to <a href="/facts/Bihar/T5Ga9JF8">Bihar</a>, India, in the east. It also occurs naturally in Iran. It is primarily found growing along river banks above 200 m (700 ft) elevation, but can range naturally up to 1,400 m (4,600 ft).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3">3</a> The temperature in its native range is typically 10 to 40 °C (50 to 104 °F), but varies from just below freezing to nearly 50 °C (122 °F). It can withstand average annual rainfall up to 2,000 millimetres (79 in) and droughts of three to four months. Soils range from pure sand and gravel to rich <a href="/facts/Alluvium/Bo78QRlp">alluvium</a> of river banks; shisham can grow in slightly saline soils. Seedlings are intolerant of shade.

<h2 id="ecology">Ecology</h2>
Dalbergia sissoo is the larval food plant of the <a href="/facts/Charaxes_solon/IUaRChxa">black rajah</a> butterfly (Charaxes solon).

<h2 id="uses">Uses</h2>
<h3>Timber</h3>

It is the best known economic timber species of the <a href="/facts/Rosewood/kWINNfMD">rosewood</a> genus sold internationally, but it is also used as fuel wood and for shade and shelter. After <a href="/facts/Teak/RRDsFFlw">teak</a>, it is the most important cultivated timber tree of Bihar, which is the largest producer of shisham timber in India. In Bihar, the tree is planted on roadsides, along canals, and as a shade tree for <a href="/facts/Tea/oDQhcyrc">tea plantations</a>. It is also commonly planted in southern Indian cities such as Bangalore as a street tree.
North Indian rosewood is usually dried before being used in furniture manufacturing, a process commonly known as seasoning. Locally, it is left in open areas to dry under the sun for about six months. Commercially, it is dried in closed chambers with hot-air circulation for about 7 to 15 days, depending on weather conditions. The ideal moisture level is around 5 to 6% for thinner pieces and up to 11% for thicker ones, depending on use. Any level lower than this can cause sudden cracking of the final products.
North Indian rosewood is among the finest cabinet and <a href="/facts/Wood_veneer/HluaU5Yt">veneer</a> timbers. It is the wood from which '<a href="/facts/Khol/lQEA83H6">mridanga</a>', the <a href="/facts/Rajasthan/rC0MvrRD">Rajasthani</a> percussion instrument, is often made. In addition to musical instruments, it is used for <a href="/facts/Plywood/eM5WFvER">plywood</a>, agricultural tools, flooring, as a bentwood, and for turning.
The <a href="/facts/Heartwood/z13NpHPl">heartwood</a> is golden to dark brown; the <a href="/facts/Sapwood_(wood)/z13NpHPl">sapwood</a> is white to pale brownish white. The heartwood is durable (its <a href="/facts/Relative_density/ySquGd2x">specific gravity</a> is 0.7 – 0.8) and is very resistant to fungi, but the sapwood is readily attacked by dry-wood termites and borers. D. sissoo is known to contain the <a href="/facts/Neoflavonoid/sxwvploP">neoflavonoid</a> <a href="/facts/Dalbergichromene/I4zgX9Hr">dalbergichromene</a> in its stem bark and heartwood.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a>

The <a href="/facts/Heating_value/HdQX0mPP">calorific</a> value of both the sapwood and heartwood is excellent, being reported to be 4,908 kcal/kg and 5,181 kcal/kg, respectively. As a fuel wood, it is grown on a 10- to 15-year rotation. The tree has excellent <a href="/facts/Coppice/VN99v1xD">coppicing</a> ability, although a loss of vigor after two or three rotations has been reported. The wood makes excellent <a href="/facts/Charcoal/tpYGBHTn">charcoal</a> for heating and cooking.

<h3>Traditional medicine</h3>
The tree's seed oil and powdered wood are used in the treatment of skin ailments.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a> Dalbergia sissoo may also have efficacy in the treatment of stomach and blood conditions.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6">6</a>

<h3>Teeth brushing</h3>
Traditionally, slender tree twigs (called datun) are first chewed as a <a href="/facts/Toothbrush/68A9G5ng">toothbrush</a> and then split as a <a href="/facts/Tongue_cleaner/5HJYLekM">tongue cleaner</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7">7</a> This practise has been in use in Pakistan, Africa, and the Middle East for centuries. Many of India's 80% rural population still start their day with the <a href="/facts/Teeth_cleaning_twig/wuRGyJDc">teeth cleaning twig</a> either with <a href="/facts/Salvadora_persica/HW2qHDEw">Salvadora persica</a> or <a href="/facts/Azadirachta_indica/A1HbPLlJ">Azadirachta indica</a>. In other parts of the world, shisham twigs are still collected and sold in markets for this use in rural areas.

<h3>Pesticide</h3>
An ethanolic extract of the fruits of D. sissoo exhibited <a href="/facts/Molluscicide/QL4Scy7x">molluscicidal</a> effects against eggs of the freshwater snail <a href="/facts/Biomphalaria_pfeifferi/1y1H3yog">Biomphalaria pfeifferi</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8">8</a>

<h3>Construction</h3>
The juice of this plant is a potent ingredient for a mixture of wall plaster, according to the Samarāṅgaṇa Sūtradhāra, which is a Sanskrit treatise dealing with Śilpaśāstra (Hindu science of art and construction).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9">9</a>

<h2 id="cultivation">Cultivation</h2>
Propagation takes place most commonly by root suckers, but also by seeds. The seeds remain viable for only a few months. Seeds should be soaked in water for 48 hours before sowing; 60% – 80% germination can be expected in 1–3 weeks. Seedlings require partial sun or full 
sun. In India, shisham wood trading and its uses are under government restrictions.

<h2 id="local-names">Local names</h2>
Common names for D. sissoo are sisu, tahli or tali, and irugudujava. Indian common names are biradi, and sisau. Pakistani common names are sheesham/shisham and tahli in Punjabi. In Pushto its name is shewa, and in <a href="/facts/Persian_language/jfUYbHbt">Persian</a>, it is called jag. In <a href="/facts/Hindi/n1QIEeCC">Hindi</a> and <a href="/facts/Urdu/oLrhuXc6">Urdu</a>, it is called sheesham. In <a href="/facts/Bengali_language/twpKobqA">Bengali</a>, it is called sheeshoo. Local name for Indian rosewood in eastern <a href="/facts/Uttar_Pradesh/vXDwM9Df">Uttar Pradesh</a> and western Bihar is seeso.
The wood of D. sissoo is known as sheesham or shisham, and is an important commercial timber.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10">10</a>
D. sisso is the <a href="/facts/List_of_Indian_state_trees/0H2nR7U9">state tree</a> of the Indian state of <a href="/facts/Punjab,_India/bHPSN45a">Punjab</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11">11</a>

<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Arid_Forest_Research_Institute/GcK3KINb">Arid Forest Research Institute</a></li></ul>

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dalbergia sissoo.

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1">"Dalbergia sissoo". European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). Retrieved 15 April 2021. <a href="https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/DAGSI" target="_blank">https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/DAGSI</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:2">Orwa, C. "Dalbergia sissoo" (PDF). Agroforestry database. Retrieved 25 December 2016. <a href="http://www.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Dalbergia_sissoo.PDF" target="_blank">http://www.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Dalbergia_sissoo.PDF</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">Lakhey, P.; Pathak, J.; Adhikari, B. (2020). "Dalbergia sissoo". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T62022617A62022619. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T62022617A62022619.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021. <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/62022617/62022619" target="_blank">https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/62022617/62022619</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">S. K. Mukerjee; T. Saroja & T. R. Seshadri (1971). "Dalbergichromene : a new neoflavonoid from stem-bark and heartwood of Dalbergia sissoo". Tetrahedron. 27 (4): 799–803. doi:10.1016/S0040-4020(01)92474-3. <a href="/wiki/Tetrahedron_(journal)" target="_blank">/wiki/Tetrahedron_(journal)</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:5">Orwa, C. "Dalbergia sissoo" (PDF). Agroforestry database. Retrieved 25 December 2016. <a href="http://www.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Dalbergia_sissoo.PDF" target="_blank">http://www.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Dalbergia_sissoo.PDF</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:6">Lakhey, P.; Pathak, J.; Adhikari, B. (2020). "Dalbergia sissoo". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T62022617A62022619. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T62022617A62022619.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021. <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/62022617/62022619" target="_blank">https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/62022617/62022619</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:7">"Make A Neem Toothbrush (Neem Tree Home Remedies)". Discover Neem. Birgit Bradtke. Retrieved 16 July 2013. <a href="http://www.discoverneem.com/neem-toothbrush.html" target="_blank">http://www.discoverneem.com/neem-toothbrush.html</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:8">Adenusi, Adedotun Adesegun; Odaibo, Alexander Bababunmi (7 March 2009). "EFFECTS OF VARYING CONCENTRATIONS OF THE CRUDE AQUEOUS AND ETHANOLIC". African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines. 6 (2): 139–149. <a href="https://journals.athmsi.org/index.php/ajtcam/article/view/465" target="_blank">https://journals.athmsi.org/index.php/ajtcam/article/view/465</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:9">Nardi, Isabella (2007). The Theory of Citrasutras in Indian Painting. Routledge. p. 121. ISBN 978-1134165230. <a href="978-1134165230" target="_blank">978-1134165230</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:10">Tudge, Colin (2005). The Tree. New York: Random House. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-307-39539-9. <a href="978-0-307-39539-9" target="_blank">978-0-307-39539-9</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:11">"State Trees of India". www.bsienvis.nic.in. ENVIS Resource Partner on Biodiversity. Retrieved 3 January 2021. <a href="http://www.bsienvis.nic.in/KidsCentre/BSI_3937.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.bsienvis.nic.in/KidsCentre/BSI_3937.aspx</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:12">smenvis.nic.in/database/PlantDiversity_833.aspx?format=Print#:~:text=Some%20important%20tree%20species%20found,Khair%20(Acacia%20catechu)%20etc. <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
</ol>

Dalbergia sissoo open-in-new

Dalbergia sissoo