Schleichera oleosa, kusum tree, Ceylon oak,[4] lac tree,[5] gum lac tree. It is a large deciduous (nearly evergreen) tree with a comparatively short fluted trunk and a shade spreading crown. It is frost and drought hardy and is subject to damage by grazing. It produces root-suckers freely, and it has good cropping power. The wood is very hard and reddish brown.[6] This tree is noted for its growth of new leaves that are bright red. In India the growth of these bright red leaves happens around March.
Young leaves blooming in various shades of red
The leaves are pinnate, with each leaf having 2-4 leaflets. The tree is host to Kusumi Lac (Kerria lacca), a lac insect which is native to India. Its seeds are the source of Kusum oil.
Flowers: The flowers are tiny and hardly noticeable, occurring in short dense yellow clusters.
Fruit: The fruit is 2.5 to 3 cm long - roughly the size of a small plum - and ovoid, 1-3 celled, and more or less abruptly tapering to a point, dry indehiscent.
Seed: The seed is 1.5 cm long, smooth, brown, and enclosed in a succulent aril which has an acidic taste, and contains 25-38% oil and up to 22% protein. It is irregular or ellipsoidal in shape, slightly compressed, and has a thick brown seed coat on its surface. The moisture in the dried seed should be maintained around 4-6%.[7]
Kernel: The kernel is 16-20% of the dried fruit and 60-64% of the seed. It is 51-52% oil. The kernel is susceptible to fungal attack.
Habitat
This tree grows naturally from the foothills of the Himalayas and the western Deccan Plateau, east to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. It grows in Bihar, Central and Southern parts of India. The tree occurs sporadically, seldom gregariously in dry, mixed deciduous forests. It grows in rocky, gravelly, or loamy, slightly acidic soil that is well drained. It is occasionally found in swampy locations, but it usually grows on rather dry soil, at low altitudes, but can be found at 900–1200 meters.[8] The requirement of normal rain fall is 750–2800 mm. and ambient temperature of 35-47.5 °C.
Names
In Thailand this tree is known as takhro (Thai: ตะคร้อ) or as kho (Thai: ค้อ), the latter being a name that it shares with Livistona speciosa, a kind of palm tree.[9] The German-Dutch botanist Georg Eberhard Rumphius, who lived for 45 years in Ambon, called this tree Cussambium.[10]
In India it is mostly known as Kusum (कुसुम) and was one of the main trees of undisturbed forests in Madhya Pradesh and the Deccan Plateau.[11] In Sri Lanka it is known as koan (කෝන්)
The tree is a host of the lac bug Kerria lacca, whose female secretes a resin known as shellac to form a tunnel-like tube as it traverses the branches of the tree. A variety of trees are able to host the insect, but the resin produced on the Schleichera tree is least colored.
^Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).; IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2019). "Schleichera oleosa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T145823995A145823997. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T145823995A145823997.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Schleichera oleosa". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
schleichera, kusum, redirects, here, kusum, monotypic, genus, plants, soapberry, family, sapindaceae, there, only, species, oleosa, tree, that, occurs, indian, subcontinent, southeast, asia, young, leavesconservation, statusleast, concern, iucn, scientific, cl. Kusum redirects here For the oil see Kusum oil Schleichera is a monotypic genus of plants in the soapberry family Sapindaceae There is only one species Schleichera oleosa a tree that occurs in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia 3 SchleicheraYoung leavesConservation statusLeast Concern IUCN 3 1 1 Scientific classificationKingdom PlantaeClade TracheophytesClade AngiospermsClade EudicotsClade RosidsOrder SapindalesFamily SapindaceaeSubfamily SapindoideaeGenus SchleicheraLour Species S oleosaBinomial nameSchleichera oleosa Lour OkenSynonyms 2 Schleichera trijuga Willd Bark Contents 1 Species 2 Habitat 3 Names 3 1 Synonyms 4 Pests 5 Gallery 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksSpecies EditSchleichera oleosa kusum tree Ceylon oak 4 lac tree 5 gum lac tree It is a large deciduous nearly evergreen tree with a comparatively short fluted trunk and a shade spreading crown It is frost and drought hardy and is subject to damage by grazing It produces root suckers freely and it has good cropping power The wood is very hard and reddish brown 6 This tree is noted for its growth of new leaves that are bright red In India the growth of these bright red leaves happens around March Young leaves blooming in various shades of red The leaves are pinnate with each leaf having 2 4 leaflets The tree is host to Kusumi Lac Kerria lacca a lac insect which is native to India Its seeds are the source of Kusum oil Flowers The flowers are tiny and hardly noticeable occurring in short dense yellow clusters Fruit The fruit is 2 5 to 3 cm long roughly the size of a small plum and ovoid 1 3 celled and more or less abruptly tapering to a point dry indehiscent Seed The seed is 1 5 cm long smooth brown and enclosed in a succulent aril which has an acidic taste and contains 25 38 oil and up to 22 protein It is irregular or ellipsoidal in shape slightly compressed and has a thick brown seed coat on its surface The moisture in the dried seed should be maintained around 4 6 7 Kernel The kernel is 16 20 of the dried fruit and 60 64 of the seed It is 51 52 oil The kernel is susceptible to fungal attack Habitat EditThis tree grows naturally from the foothills of the Himalayas and the western Deccan Plateau east to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia It grows in Bihar Central and Southern parts of India The tree occurs sporadically seldom gregariously in dry mixed deciduous forests It grows in rocky gravelly or loamy slightly acidic soil that is well drained It is occasionally found in swampy locations but it usually grows on rather dry soil at low altitudes but can be found at 900 1200 meters 8 The requirement of normal rain fall is 750 2800 mm and ambient temperature of 35 47 5 C Names EditIn Thailand this tree is known as takhro Thai takhrx or as kho Thai khx the latter being a name that it shares with Livistona speciosa a kind of palm tree 9 The German Dutch botanist Georg Eberhard Rumphius who lived for 45 years in Ambon called this tree Cussambium 10 In India it is mostly known as Kusum क स म and was one of the main trees of undisturbed forests in Madhya Pradesh and the Deccan Plateau 11 In Sri Lanka it is known as koan ක න Synonyms Edit Schleichera trijuga Willd 2 Pests EditThe tree is a host of the lac bug Kerria lacca whose female secretes a resin known as shellac to form a tunnel like tube as it traverses the branches of the tree A variety of trees are able to host the insect but the resin produced on the Schleichera tree is least colored Gallery Edit Flowers Fruits SeedsSee also EditKusum oilReferences Edit Botanic Gardens Conservation International BGCI IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group 2019 Schleichera oleosa IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019 e T145823995A145823997 doi 10 2305 IUCN UK 2019 2 RLTS T145823995A145823997 en Retrieved 19 November 2021 a b Schleichera oleosa Germplasm Resources Information Network GRIN Agricultural Research Service ARS United States Department of Agriculture USDA Retrieved 21 December 2017 Kusum Tree Catalogue of Life USDA NRCS n d Schleichera oleosa The PLANTS Database plants usda gov Greensboro North Carolina National Plant Data Team Retrieved 7 November 2015 Ntfp Mis Iifm ac in Retrieved 2013 11 21 SEA HandBook 2009 By The Solvent Extractors association of India Schleichera oleosa Lou Oken Seed Leaflet PDF Curis ku dk Retrieved 2013 11 21 emldkhx Livistona speciosa Georg Eberhard Rumphius Herbarium Amboinense Cussambium Liber I Cap 47 1741 Schleichera oleosa Kusum Tree Flowersofindia net Retrieved 2013 11 21 External links Edit Media related to Schleichera at Wikimedia Commons AgroForestry Tree Database Schleichera oleosa The Wood Explorer Database Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Schleichera amp oldid 1133164425, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
