Schleichera oleosa

Kusum Tree Pic
Tree Gold

Botanical Name Schleichera oleosa

Common Name – Lac tree, Kusumbha (Sanskrit), Kusum, Kosam (Hindi), Kusum (Marathi), Chakota (Kannada)

Habit-

  • Large deciduous tree
  • Slow growing

Habitat-

  • Dry deciduous and moist deciduous forest
  • Prefer rocky hilly areas

Distribution – Punjab, Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka

Specific properties

  • Drought resistant
  • Fire resistant
  • Dense shade tree

Ecology

  • Macaques, spotted deer, birds, bats feed on fruits
  • Elephants feed on the leaves
  • Birds prefer it for roosting for its dense shade
  • Kusum is as the host tree of lac insect


Larval Host Plant for-
Coladenia indrani – Tricolour Pied Flat
Acytolepis puspa – Common Hedge Blue
Arhopala centaurus – Centaur Oakblue
Catochrysops strabo – Forget-me-not
Chilades pandava – Plains Cupid
Megisba malaya – Malayan
Rapala iarbus – Common Red Flash
Rathinda amor – Monkey Puzzle

Uses

  • Tree has antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-cancerous properties used as cure for skin afflictions, appetite loss, ulcers, arthritis, headache, diarrhoea, neuralgia, paralysis
  • Fruits and leaves are edible
  • Seeds yield oil which promotes hair growth, used for culinary and lighting purposes
  • Used for lac insect production
  • Leaves as fodder
  • The bark is used as astringent

Propagation

  • Seeds
Leaf
Fruits

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