Shorea robusta seed oil

The bark is dark brown and thick, with longitudinal fissures deep in poles, becoming shallow in mature trees, and provides effective fire protection.

S. robusta flourishes best in deep, well-drained, moist, slightly acid, sandy to clayey soils.

The most favourable soil is a moist sandy loam with good subsoil drainage.

Flowers are yellowish-white, arranged in large terminal or axillary racemose panicles.

[6] This species ranges south of the Himalaya, from Myanmar in the east to Nepal, India and Bangladesh.

[7] The tree is widely distributed in tropical regions and covers about 13.3% of the forested area in the country.

In the Himalayan foothill belt it extends up to Assam valley (including Mefghalaya and Tripura) in the east to foothills of north-west Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Kangra region of Himachala Pradesh.

[8] Sal is a major means of survival for forest dwellers in the Central Indian states of Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

Across these three states some 20-30 million forest dwellers depend on collection of sal seeds, leaves and resins.

Refined, modified fat is a substitute for cocoa butter and used in confectionery industry.

[13] Sal butter is used in the manufacturing of edible ghee (vanaspati), paints and pigments, lubricants, auto oil, etc.