The Sal (Shorea robusta) belongs to the wing fruit plants (Dipterocarpaceae). Local name in India are among other things: Ral, Salwa, Sakhu, Sakher, Shal, Kandar and Sakwa.

Description

The Salbaum grows upright and becomes high up to 35 m. It is considered as slowly to intermediately increasing (about 100 years become old) and possesses a hard wood. The trunk reaches a diameter of up to 2 M. the freshstruck heartwood is bright, darkens later however after. It is richly long-lived at resin and. The Splintholz is whitish and rotted quite fast. The crust of the young trees is to 2 - to 5 cm thickly, softly and with few deep furrows intersperses. The crust of older trees is reddish-brown or grey. Recent branches are behaart.

In damp areas the Salbaum is evergreen, in drier areas loses it between February and April a majority of its leaves. In April/May come then new oblong-oval sheets, which possess 5 - until 24 cm become long broad and 10 to 40 cm and 2 to 2.5 cm for a long time, behaarte handles. The two-line arranged sheets are ledrig and shine on the top side if them are older, the blade lower surface are however pale green. There the central rib and ever about 12 side nerves step out. The Spreitenspitze is pointedly approaching, the Spreitengrund is to rounded off. The are oblong and drop very early.

The bloom time is from February to May. The blooms stand in up to 25 cm are enough for Rispen. Sometimes the are creme to yellowish and can possess a pinkfarbenen center strip. They are about 0.5 x 1 to 1,5cm long and rotated (contort). The are young oval and closely leather colors behaart. With the fruit-ripe three of the five attain full growth to long (1.5 x 8 cm) wings, the other two are smaller (0.5 x 3 cm). The bloom possesses many whose Konnektive trains small extensions. Only one stylus is trained.

The fruit is one to 1,2cm long nut and has 1.2 cm a long stylus remainder at the point. It is surrounded by the five from which three attain full growth to wings and serve for the wind propagation (Anemochorie). At the end of May to July are ripe the 0.5 to 1.2 cm large fruits. The seeds germinate often already at the nut/mother plant (Viviparie) and increase on the soil by the spring monsoon very fast.

Spreading

It is an important tree species in the north of the Indian Subkontinents. There it is forest-forming (Salwald) and thus a form of the monsoon forests.

Sal grows south of the Himalaya, of Myanmar in the east over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bangladesh, Sikkim to Nepal. In central India one finds one it in the northern Federal States into the Shivalik Hills east the river Yamuna in the State of Haryana. The spreading continues to go to the south into the eastern Vindhyagebirge, the Satpuragebirge and into the Ostghats.

Ecology and endangerment

grow particularly on sandigen loamy soils (50% sand, 30% Silt, 20% clay mineral). It preferentially rather drier locations, longer inundations harm it. One nevertheless differentiates the damp coast from the drier Sal

The Sal needs much light and stands no Beschattung. He trains a loose Kronendach, so that the Unterwuchs is well exposed. Into it (probably by humans) comes the-more frequent to fires against the attained full growth trees is resistant. Younger trees can carry, depending upon fire strength damage off, particularly by Wundinfektionen by mushrooms. To that extent it is questionable whether fire uses or harms rather, since fires in other ecological systems, as the South African Fynbos, for the nutrient release is important. The intensified growth of the Krautschicht after fires seems meanwhile verb-eats at young plants by higher herbivore densities to promote.

Beside fires a beetle is, the Sal Kernholzbohrer Hoplocerambyx spinicornis an important endangerment of the Salbaums. Since the kind is vegetation-determining (however not as Monokultur), is the hazard potential by parasits very largely.

Since the Sal has also many application possibilities for humans (see Abschitt below), exists also the danger of the excessive use, so that a forest management is from emergencies.

Use

The wood of the Salbaumes is difficult by the resin and the fibrous structure to work on and particularly for the building of houses, for bridges, pallets, railroad cars, telephone and current masts and as track document is used. From therefore it it possesses an important economic value. The whitish opalisierende resin is used for sealing planks, in addition, burned by Hindus with religious ceremonies. The sheets serve as plates or baskets for meals. The folded sheets with something turmeric or some are considered at some places also as invitation to a wedding. The oil of the sheets won from distillation is used for the perfume production or, in order to chewing or smoke tobacco. Also the oil-rich seeds are variously used. The oil, or Sal butter, above all stearic acid and oleic acid contains and among other things for the soaping and Kosmetikproduktion is used. It serves the so-called Ghee as lamp oil or for the production of clarified butter. It is permitted also as additive during the chocolate production. The of the pressed out seeds richly problem-free possible 10% are mixing at Tanninen (6-8%) and cattle with up to 20% igem portion in the Viehfutter are mixed, with pigs and poultry are.

Sal in the legend

The far spreading of the Sal and its meaning settled also in the culture. Thus a legend after the queen bore Maya its son Siddhartha Gautama, which became later with its illuminating the Buddha, under a Salbaum. Another legend mentioned, she would have dreamed under a Salbaum about an elephant with 6 which penetrates into her body. This, Airavat elephant mentioned is regarded of many Hindus as Reinkarnation of the God Vishnu. Also one tells, Buddha died under a Salbaum.

Literature

• Tewari DN: A mono graph on Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn.f). 1995

Related links

• Gautam KH, Devoe NN: "“Ecological and anthropogenic niches OF sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn. f.) forest and prospects for multiple product forest management - A review"” Forestry Advance ACCESS 2005

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