Indian Rosewood

Location in BHU campus: Common tree in the campus along the roadside, in fields etc.

Botanical name : Dalbergia sissoo Roxb

Family : Fabaceae/Faboideae

Vernacular / local Name : Bengali-Shisu, Bombay sissu; Gujarati-Sisam,tanach; Hindi-Shisham,sissu,sissai; Kannada-Agaru,biridi; Malayalam-Iruvil; Oriya-Sisu,simsapa; Punjab-Tali,shisham,shishai; Sanskrit-Shinshapa,aguru; Tamil-Sisu,itti,gette; Telugu-Errasissu,sinsupa.

English / Trade names : Indian rosewood,Bombay blackwood,Indian dalbergia ,Shisham,sisu

A large deciduous tree, 20-30 m high. Bark dark grey ,rough and furrowed.Leaves pinnate,leaflets 3-5 ,alternate in zigzag axis, terminal the largest. Leaflets broad –ovate,pointed on 3-5 mm long stalks.Flowers small,scented,numerous ,inconspicuous,about 1 cm long ,pale yellow,in axillary 5-8 cm longpanicles,.Fruit a pod,strap shaped with 1-3 kidney shaped light brown seeds.

Flowering: March-May

Fruiting: November-February

• Sacred value

The tree is considered sacred and planted by Hindus.

• Uses

The brown heartwood is hard,heavy,strong and elastic.It is highly valued as constructional and general utility timber. The wood is of high quality and suitable for furniture,railway sleepers,plywood,carving ,boat building, carts and carriages, implementsetc.Leaves are used as fodder . ‘Raspings’of the wood are used in treating leprosy, boils and vomiting and the bark for curing diseases of blood ,dysentery,leucoderma and skin ailments. Shisham is planted to reclaim eroding sites and as a windbreak. Bees visit the flowers and are a source of dark .strongly flavoured honey.