Statue of Unity – Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat Rain Forest Ektanagar

Shorea robusta

Syn. Dryobalanops robusta

IUCN Red List Near Threatened (NT)

Local name

  • Sal Tree (English)
  • Sal (Hindi)
  • Agnivallabha (Sanskrit)

Tree type

Evergreen Deciduous
Family: Dipterocarpaceae
30m

Indicated uses

Medicinal Edible Ornamental Avenue Other

Flowering & fruiting

Flowering Fruiting

Key characters

Shorea robusta bark

Bark

The bark of the young tree is smooth with a few long deep and vertical furrows.

Shorea robusta leaves

Leaves

The leaves are ovate-oblong, 10–25 cm long and 5–15 cm broad. In wetter areas, it is evergreen; in drier areas, shedding most of the leaves between February and April, leafing out again in April and May.

Shorea robusta flower

Flower

Flowers, whitish in colour, appear in early summer. These are borne in raceme-like panicles in leaf axils, covered with white pubescence.

Shorea robusta fruit / seeds

Fruit / Seeds

Fruit is a nut enclosed by the persistent calyx, with five wings (three long and two short) that aid wind dispersal.

Shorea robusta

Did you know?

Sal is one of India’s most economically and ecologically important timber species, forming extensive Sal forests across northern and central India.

Distribution

World map showing distribution

Indian Subcontinent to South East Tibet