185.118.30.133 at 14:01, 12 January 2023

2023-01-12T14:01:32Z

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{{Short description|Species of deciduous tree}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Dalbergia sissoo Bra24.png
|status = LC
|status_system = IUCN3.1
|status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Lakhey, P. |author2=Pathak, J. |author3=Adhikari, B. |date=2020 |title=''Dalbergia sissoo'' |volume=2020 |page=e.T62022617A62022619 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T62022617A62022619.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
|taxon = Dalbergia sissoo
|authority = [[William Roxburgh|Roxb.]]
|synonyms =
{{Plainlist | style = margin-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em; |
*''Amerimnon sissoo'' <small>(Roxb.) Kuntze</small>
}}
|synonyms_ref = <ref>{{citation
|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/ild-1870
|title=The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species
|access-date=12 December 2015}}</ref>
|}}

{{Redirect-synonym|Indian rosewood|''[[Dalbergia latifolia]]''}}
'''''Dalbergia sissoo''''', known commonly as '''North Indian rosewood''' or ''shisham'',<ref name=EPPO>{{cite web | title = ''Dalbergia sissoo'' | url = https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/DAGSI | publisher = [[European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization]] (EPPO) | access-date = 15 April 2021}}</ref> is a fast-growing, hardy, [[deciduous]] [[rosewood]] tree native to the Indian subcontinent and southern Iran. ''D. sissoo'' is a large, crooked tree with long, leathery leaves and whitish or pink flowers.

==Description==
''Dalbergia sissoo'' is a medium to large deciduous tree with a light crown, which reproduces by seeds and [[basal shoot|suckers]].<ref name=Agroforestry>{{cite web|last1=Orwa|first1=C|title=Dalbergia sissoo|url=http://www.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Dalbergia_sissoo.PDF|website=Agroforestry database|access-date=25 December 2016}}</ref> It can grow up to {{convert|25|m|abbr=on}} in height and {{convert|2|to|3|m|abbr=on}} in diameter, but is usually smaller. Trunks are often crooked when grown in the open. Leaves are leathery, alternate, pinnately compound, and about {{convert|15|cm|abbr=on}} long. Flowers are whitish to pink, fragrant, nearly sessile, up to {{convert|1.5|cm|abbr=on}} long, and in dense clusters {{convert|5|to|10|cm|abbr=on}} in length. Pods are oblong, flat, thin, strap-like, {{convert|4|to|8|cm|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|1|cm|abbr=on}} wide, and light brown. They contain one to five flat, bean-shaped seeds, {{convert|8|to|10|mm|abbr=on}} 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 {{convert|2.5|cm|abbr=on}} thick, shed in narrow strips; large upper branches support a spreading crown.

==Distribution and habitat==
''Dalbergia sissoo'' is native to the foothills of the Himalayas ranging from Afghanistan in the west to [[Bihar]], India, in the east. It also occurs naturally in Iran. It is primarily found growing along river banks above {{convert|200|m|-2|abbr=on}} elevation, but can range naturally up to {{convert|1400|m|abbr=on}}.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> The temperature in its native range is typically {{convert|10|to|40|C|F}}, but varies from just below freezing to nearly {{convert|50|C|F}}. It can withstand average annual rainfall up to {{convert|2000|mm}} and droughts of three to four months. Soils range from pure sand and gravel to rich [[alluvium]] of river banks; ''shisham'' can grow in slightly saline soils. Seedlings are intolerant of shade.

==Ecology==
''Dalbergia sissoo'' is the larval food plant of the [[Charaxes solon|black rajah]] (''Charaxes solon'').

==Uses==

===Timber===
[[File:Sheesham.jpg|thumb|Sheesham wood]]
It is the best known economic timber species of the [[rosewood]] genus sold internationally, but it is also used as fuel wood and for shade and shelter. After [[teak]], 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 [[tea|tea plantations]]. 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 [[wood veneer|veneer]] timbers. It is the wood from which '[[khol|mridanga]]', the [[Rajasthan]]i percussion instrument, is often made. In addition to musical instruments, it is used for [[plywood]], agricultural tools, flooring, as a bentwood, and for turning.

The [[heartwood]] is golden to dark brown; the [[sapwood (wood)|sapwood]] is white to pale brownish white. The heartwood is durable (its [[relative density|specific gravity]] 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 [[neoflavonoid]] [[dalbergichromene]] in its stem bark and heartwood.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=[[Tetrahedron (journal)|Tetrahedron]] |volume=27 |issue=4 |year=1971 |pages=799–803 |title=Dalbergichromene : a new neoflavonoid from stem-bark and heartwood of ''Dalbergia sissoo'' |author=S. K. Mukerjee |author2=T. Saroja |author3=T. R. Seshadri |name-list-style=amp |doi=10.1016/S0040-4020(01)92474-3}}</ref>
[[File:Sisau Tree, Indian rosewood, (Dalbergia sissoo)-IMG 7825.jpg|thumb|Dalbergia sissoo, Sisau Tree in [[Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science|IAAS, Paklihawa Campus, Nepal]]]]

===Fuel wood===
[[File:Dalbergia sissoo.jpg|thumb|right|A North Indian rosewood tree growing in Pakistan]]
The [[Heating value|calorific]] 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 [[coppice|coppicing]] ability, although a loss of vigor after two or three rotations has been reported. The wood makes excellent [[charcoal]] for heating and cooking.

===Traditional medicine===
The tree's seed oil and powdered wood are used in the treatment of skin ailments.<ref name=Agroforestry/> ''Dalbergia sissoo'' may also have efficacy in the treatment of stomach and blood conditions.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021"/>

=== Teeth brushing===
Traditionally, slender tree twigs (called ''datun'') are first chewed as a [[toothbrush]] and then split as a [[tongue cleaner]].<ref name="Toothbrush">{{cite web|url=http://www.discoverneem.com/neem-toothbrush.html|title=Make A Neem Toothbrush (Neem Tree Home Remedies)|work=Discover Neem|publisher=Birgit Bradtke|access-date=16 July 2013}}</ref> 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 [[teeth cleaning twig]] either with ''[[Salvadora persica]] ''or ''[[Azadirachta indica]]''. In other parts of the world, ''shisham'' twigs are still collected and sold in markets for this use in rural areas.

=== Pesticide ===
An ethanolic extract of the fruits of ''D. sissoo'' exhibited [[molluscicide|molluscicidal]] effects against eggs of the freshwater snail ''[[Biomphalaria pfeifferi]]''.<ref>Adenusi A. A. & Odaibo A. B. (2009). "Effects of varying concentrations of the crude aqueous and ethanolic". ''African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative medicines'' '''6'''(2). [http://journals.sfu.ca/africanem/index.php/ajtcam/article/view/465 abstract], [http://journals.sfu.ca/africanem/index.php/ajtcam/article/view/465/396 PDF].</ref>

===Construction===
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).<ref>{{Cite book
| last = Nardi
| first = Isabella

| title = The Theory of Citrasutras in Indian Painting
| place =
| publisher = Routledge
| year = 2007

| isbn=978-1134165230
| pages = 121
| edition =
| url =
| doi =
| id =
}}</ref>

==Cultivation==
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.

==Local names==
Common names for ''D. sissoo'' are ''sisu'', ''tahli'' or ''tali'', and ''irugudujava''. Indian common names are '''{{transl|pa|biradi}}''', and '''{{transl|pa|sisau}}'''. Pakistani common names are ''sheesham/shisham'' and ''tahli'' in Punjabi. In Afghanistani, its name is ''shewa'', and in [[Persian language|Persian]], it is called ''jag''. In [[Hindi]] and [[Urdu]], it is called ''sheesham''. In [[Bengali language|Bengali]], it is called ''sheeshoo''. Local name for Indian rosewood in eastern [[Uttar Pradesh]] and western Bihar is ''seeso''.

The wood of ''D. sissoo'' is known as ''sheesham'' or ''shisham'', and is an important commercial timber.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Tudge|first1=Colin|title=The Tree|date=2005|publisher=Random House|location=New York|isbn=978-0-307-39539-9|page=182}}</ref>

''D. sisso'' is the [[List of Indian state trees|state tree]] of the Indian state of [[Punjab, India|Punjab]].<ref name=ENVIS>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bsienvis.nic.in/KidsCentre/BSI_3937.aspx|title=State Trees of India|website=www.bsienvis.nic.in|publisher=ENVIS Resource Partner on Biodiversity|access-date=3 January 2021}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Arid Forest Research Institute]]

==References==
{{Commons category|Dalbergia sissoo}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1157813}}

[[Category:Dalbergia|sissoo]]
[[Category:Trees of the Indian subcontinent]]
[[Category:Provincial symbols of Punjab (Pakistan)]]
[[Category:Provincial symbols of Doab (India)]]
[[Category:Trees of Western Asia]]
[[Category:Environment of Punjab, India]]

Dalbergia sissoo - Revision history

185.118.30.133 at 14:01, 12 January 2023