| BRIEF DESCRIPTION A desiduous, sometimes nearly evergreen tree reaching a height of up to 24 m. USES It is grown for its fruit seeds, which contain edible fat used in illumination and hair-oils. The fruit pulp is edible and unripe fruits are eaten as pickles and young leaves as vegetables. The timber can be used for building small boats and sugar mill rollers. The bark is used for tanning. KILLING T Frost-hardy. GROWING PERIOD Perennial. In India the flowers appear together with the new leaves in March-April, the fruits ripen in June-July, and the leaves fall in December-February. COMMON NAMES Lac tree, Kusum, Gum lac tree , Ceylon oak, Macassar oil tree, Chendola, Kosam, Kosum, Sagdi, Puvam, Kusumb, Rusam, Kussam, Puvam, Pusku. FURTHER INF Scientific synonym: S. trijuga. Lac tree can be found at elevations between sea level and 900 m. In India, it is adapted to a relative humidity in January from 40-80% and in July from 60-90%. |
