Kusum
Schleichera oleosa
Outdoor Plants Difficulty: Easy
📖 About this plant
Schleichera oleosa (kusum tree or ‘Kusum’ in Odia/Hindi, also called Ceylon oak) is a large deciduous tree of the Sapindaceae family. The tree is the host plant for the lac insect (Kerria lacca) — India’s lac industry (~20,000 tonnes annually) is centred on Kusum plantations in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. Seeds yield kusum oil (macassar oil) used in hair oils, soaps, and as an edible oil. Wood is hard and used for furniture and agricultural implements.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
☀️
Light
Full sun
💧
Water
Regular; moderately drought-tolerant
💨
Humidity
Moderate
🌡️
Temperature
15-38°C
🪴
Soil
Well-draining loam
🧪
Fertilizer
Compost annually
🌐 Common Names
HI
Hindi
Kusum
BN
Bengali
Kusum
MR
Marathi
Kusum
TE
Telugu
Kusum
TA
Tamil
Kusum
GU
Gujarati
Kusum
UR
Urdu
Kusum
KN
Kannada
Kusum
OR
Odia
Kusum
ML
Malayalam
Kusum
PA
Punjabi
Kusum
AS
Assamese
Kusum
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Indian Subcontinent
- 📏 Max height
- 10-20 m
- 📐 Spread
- 4-6 m
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Spring
- 🎨 Bloom color
- White-yellow
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- 40+ years
- 📈 Growth rate
- Moderate
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Non-toxic
- 🌱 Propagation
- Seeds
🛡️ Health & Safety
🐾 Pet safe
✅ Non-toxic
Non-toxic
Common issues
- Leaf spot
- caterpillar defoliation
💡 Care tips
- Plant in well-draining soil with appropriate light.
- Tolerates Indian tropical conditions.
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