Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. ex DC, Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results: 

Reject, score: 21 (Go to the risk assessment (Australia))
High risk, score: 13 (Go to the risk assessment (Pacific))

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Indian dalbergia, Indian rosewood, shisham, sissoo, sisu

French: ébénier juane

Habit:  tree

Description:  "An erect deciduous tree to 20 m high with a 2 to 3 m girth, trunk often not straight or regularly branched; reproducing by seed and suckers. Stems: Young shoots downy, drooping; established stems with light brown to dark gray bark to 2.5 cm thick, shed in narrow strips; large upper branches support a spreading crown. Leaves leathery, pubescent when young, glabrous later; alternate, to 8 cm long, comprising 3 to 7 leaflets, broadly elliptical to obovate. Flowers white to yellowish white, pea-like, to 2 cm long, fragrant, nearly sessile; formed in axillary clusters. Fruit an oblong pale brown pod to 10 cm long, 1 cm wide, thin and strap-like, end rounded with a minute point, glabrous, contains 1 to 4, usually 2 or 3 seeds. Seed: Brown, flat, almost oblong,1 cm long and 4 mm wide. Root: A long taproot and numerous surface roots which produce suckers" (Parsons and Cuthbertson, 1992; pp. 472-473).

Habitat/ecology:  Moist tropics and subtropics to 1000 m. "Growth is most prolific in tropical and sub-tropical climates, particularly in areas where there is considerable soil moisture (but not waterlogged soils).  In the Northern Territory [Australia], it grows mostly on sands and gravels along watercourses, sometimes spreading into the drier forests and plains." (Csurhes and Edwards, 1998; p. 106).

Propagation:  Seeds, but most commonly locally by root suckers. Can form dense thickets.

Native range:  India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Widely planted for wood and shade.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1986) (voucher ID: BISH 546516) Taxon name on voucher: Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. ex DC
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 82) Vouchers cited: MacKee 33912, MacKee 36673, Cherrier in MacKee 44455

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Northern Territory	introduced invasive	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 106)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 106) Isolated populations.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2005)

Comments:  Declared a noxious weed in the Northern Territory, Australia (Csurhes and Edwards, 1998; p. 106).

Control: 

Chemical: Picloram as a cut stump, basal bark or stem injection (Parsons and Cuthbertson, 1992; pp. 472-473).

Additional information:  Fact sheet on Dalbergia sissoo (PDF file).
Information on this prohibited species from the Miami-Dade County [Florida] web site.
Information from the Purdue University NewCROP web site.
Information from the World Agroforestry Centre's AgroForestryTree Database.

Additional online information about Dalbergia sissoo is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Dalbergia sissoo may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1986. Voucher specimen #BISH 546516 (Florence, J. 7213).

Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. 1998. Potential environmental weeds in Australia: Candidate species for preventative control. Canberra, Australia. Biodiversity Group, Environment Australia. 208 pp.

ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre. 2005. International Legume Database & Information Service. Online searchable database.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Parsons, W. T./Cuthbertson, E. G. 1992. Noxious weeds of Australia. Inkata Press, Melbourne/Sydney. 692 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2005. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.