Kusum / Ceylon Oak
Schleichera oleosa
Also known as Macassar-Oil Tree
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- February-August
How to identify Kusum
Identify Kusum by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Seed oil pressed for macassar oil (Ceylon oak).
- Confirm leaf type: Pinnately compound.
- Confirm flower colour: Yellow.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: February-August.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Sapindaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Kusum.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Schleichera oleosa
- Genus
- Schleichera
- Family
- Sapindaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Dry deciduous, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests, also in plains
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- Tropical Himalayas, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Indo-China, Malesia, Sri Lanka
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana
- Flowering & fruiting
- February-August
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Pinnately compoundrecordedLeaflets are arranged in rows along a central stalk, like a feather.“The leaves are pinnate, with each leaf having 2-4 leaflets.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kusum itself; the rest are typical of the Sapindaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Yellowrecorded“Flowers: The flowers are tiny and hardly noticeable, occurring in short dense yellow clusters.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kusum itself; the rest are typical of the Sapindaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Kusum कुसुम, kusum
- Tamil
- Kumbadiri
- Telugu
- Posku
- Kannada
- ಚಕೋಟ Chakota, ಸಗಟೆ Sagate, ಸಗಡೆ Sagade
- Malayalam
- Cottilai, പുവ്വം, Schleichera oleosa
- Marathi
- कुसुम्ब Kusumb
About Kusum
A member of the Sapindaceae family, Ceylon Oak (Schleichera oleosa) is a tree. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and 14 other states. It grows in dry deciduous, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests, also in plains. Flowering and fruiting run from February to August.
Sapindaceae
Soapberry/Lychee family
Kusum belongs to the Sapindaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Sapindaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides