Sissoo

Sissoo deciduous timber yielding tree, Dalbergia sisso, occurring throughout the sub-Himalayan tracts; acclaimed as homestead and avenue tree, planted in almost all parts of Bangladesh. Leaves are actually leaflets, rhomboid and arranged in imperipinnate manner. The common petiole is zig-zag. Defoliation occurs in late January. The flowers are small, yellowish white, open in February-March. The fruit is a flat single-seeded pod. The plant is propagated by seed and also by stump. The heartwood is brown with dark streaks, very hard, strong and durable. It is extensively used for furniture, carts and carries, veneer, boat building and in many construction works. It can be worked into decorative ornamental carvings. It also yields fuel wood and charcoal. Oil obtained from seed is used in skin diseases. [Mostafa Kamal Pasha]