CSIR-NEERI Biodiversity Portal

SHISHAM

Dalbergia sissoo DC

Botanical name	: Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. ex DC
Synonym	: Amerimnon sissoo (Roxb.)Kuntze
Vernacular name	: Shisham / Sisam /Rosewood
Family	: Fabaceae - Papilionoideae
About the Tree	: A medium to large sized deciduous tree with large, wide spreading crown. Shade, framing, or street tree, easily-grown semi-evergreen. The tree is native to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Malaysia, and Pakistan.
Height	: About 25m
Bark	: Bark thin, grey-yellow, longitudinally furrowed, exfoliating in narrow strips
Leaf	: Leaves are leathery, impairpinnate alternate, broad, ovate, 15 cm long. Bearing leaflets 3-5, more or less acuminate leaflets alternately inserted in zig - zag on a 10-15 cm long rachis.
Flower	: Flowers are inconspicuous, pale white to dull yellow up to 1.5cm long present in short Clusters nearly sessile.
Fruits	: Pods Are oblong, flat, thin 4-8 cm long, 1 cm wide, and light brown. Narrowed at the base, with 1-4seeds. Seeds are kidney shaped, 8-10 mm thin and flat, light brown.
Season	: Leaves shed every year after having turned to a brownish hue.; Flowering in mid March-may. leaves fall and young flower buds appear with new leaves followed by complete pod formation and maturity. Fruit form soon after the flowering, persist till 7-89 months and then dispersed by wind and water.
Medicinal Properties Peculiar Character	: Wood rasping and bark is used medicinally for curing leprosy, Boils, dysentery and skin diseases, Sissoo oil is used to treat scabies. : Rosewood genus is an important timber tree in India.