Cussambium oleosum O. Kuntze

Dioecious, deciduous tree, up to 40 m tall. Bole occasionally up to 2 m in diameter, but generally much less, usually crooked and slightly buttressed. Bark smooth, grey. Branches terete, striate, with sparse, short fulvous sericeous hairs when young and with sessile glands, black, later yellowish-brown to ashy. Leaves parinnate, (2-)3(-4)-jugate, the topmost leaflet sometimes situated like a terminal leaflet; axial parts usually early glabrescent; petiole terete to somewhat flattened or slightly grooved above, 2-6(-8) cm long, pulvinate; rachis terete to triangular; petiolule swollen, slightly grooved above, 1-3 mm long; leaflets elliptical to obovate, 4.5-18.5(-25) cm x 2.5-9 cm, chartaceous to coriaceous, dark brown or greyish-green above, lighter brown to greenish beneath, deep purple when young, base subacute to cuneata, often oblique, margin entire to repandous, apex obtuse or emarginate, sometimes shortly acuminate, veins in 12-15 pairs, looped and joined near the margin. Inflorescence 6-15 cm long, situated in the defoliated part of branchlets above leaf scars, sometimes axillary, consisting of a few simple (female) or sparsely branched (male) thyrses, the basal part with scattered, many-flowered fascicles, the upper part spicate, sparsely hairy; flowers functionally unisexual, pale yellow or pale green; pedicel up to 5 mm long; sepals 4-5, connate at base, lobes ovate to deltoid, about 1.5 mm long, obtuse to acute, with thin hairs on both sides, margin ciliate and sometimes glandular, deciduous in fruit; disk uninterrupted, petelliform, sinuate; petals absent; stamens 5-9, filaments about 2 mm long, sparsely hairy, much reduced in female flowers; ovary ovoid, slightly 3-angular and indistinctly 3-sulcate, about 1.3 mm long, style rather thick, up to 1.5 mm long, pistil much reduced in male flowers. Fruit a broadly ovoid, ellipsoid to subglobular berry, 1-2 seeded, 1.5-2.5 cm x 1-2 cm, base narrowed, apex pointed, yellow, hard-crustaceous, smooth or slightly spiny. Seed subglobular, about 12 mm x 10 mm x 8 mm, hilum orbicular, testa brown, smooth, glabrous; arillode completely covering the seed, thin papery, yellow.

S. oleosa is deciduous, but completely leafless for a few days only. In India, leaves drop in December. S. oleosa flowers at the beginning of the dry season and fruits about 6 months later.

S. oleosa occurs spontaneously in dry, mixed deciduous forest and savanna with only scattered trees, sometimes gregariously. In Java, it is found in areas with natural teak forest. It grows on rather dry to occasionally swampy locations on various, often rocky, gravelly or loamy, well drained, preferable slightly acid soil. S.oleosa is fire-resistant. Seedling are frost sensitive and light-demanding.

Occurs naturally from the foothils of the Himalayas and the western Deccan to Sri Lanka and Indo-China. It was probably introduced to Malesia and has naturalized in Indonesia (Java, the Lesser Sunda Islands (Bali and Nusa Tenggara), Sulawesi, the Moluccas, Ceram and the Kai Islands). It is occasionally cultivated throughout the tropics, especially in India.

Natural regeneration is by seed and root suckers. Propagation is by direct sowing in thoroughly prepared soil or by stump planting. In nurseries in West Bengal (India), seed is sown 7.5 cm apart immediately after collection. Stumps are prepared after one year, when the seedling stem is about 1 cm in diameter. The stem is cut back to about 4 cm, the roots to 25 cm. Plant holes should be about 30 cm deep and wide. Regular weeding and protection from grazing is required.

Husbandry: In cultivation, it does not stand heavy prunning, since growth is rather slow. When S. oleosa is employed as a host for lac insects in northern India, trees are inoculated early in the rainy season (June-July) or in January-February. Shoots of 4-10 months old are most suitable for larval settlement. Lac is harvested after about 6 months. Only trees with a fully developed crown produce a good yield of lac. Trees can be improved by heavy pollarding. Trees should be rested for 12-18 months before being reinoculated.

Diseases: Stem blight (Rosellinia bunodes), yellow cork rot (Polyporus weberianus), white spongy rot (Daedalea flavida and Hexagonia apiaria) and white fibrous rot (Irpex flavus) are important diseases in India. Pests: Several defoliators, borers and sap suckers cause damage. The seed is attacked by a bug (Serinetha augur).

Seed can be stored in gunny bags for 1 year, in sealed containers for up to 2 years. The weight of 1000 seeds is 500-700 g.

Ornamental: In Central India, it is much planted as a wayside tree.

Fodder: Leaves, twigs and seed-cake are used to feed cattle. Food: The pleasantly acid arillodes of the ripe seeds are eaten, whereas immature fruit is pickled. Cooked young leaves make a side dish. Fuel: The wood is suitable as firewood and makes excellent charcoal. Lipids: Oil extracted from the seed, called 'kusum oil', is a valuable component of true Macassar oil used in hairdressing; it is also used for culinary and lighting purpose and in traditional medicine it is applied to cure itching, acne and other skin afflictions. Unguents are made of the harder fraction of the oil. In Madura and Java the oil is used in the batik industry, and in southern India as a cooling bath oil. Medicine: Powdered seeds are applied to wounds and ulcers of cattle to remove maggots. The bark is astringent and used against skin imflammations and ulcers, while an infusion is taken against malaria. Tannin or dyestuff: A dye and tannin are obtained from the bark. Tannin used to be utilised occasionally for tanning leather. Timber: The pinkish-brown heartwood is very hard and durable, execellent to make pestles, cartwheels, axles, ploughs, tool handles and rollers of sugar mills and oil presses. Other products: In India, it is used as host for the lac insect (Laccifer lacca). The product is called kusum lac and is the best in quality and in yield.