ສີສຽດ / Burma Mahogany
APA 6th ed. ສີສຽດ / Burma Mahogany. (2021, September 7). Retrieved from https://www.phakhaolao.la/kb/0000007
MLA 8th ed. ສີສຽດ / Burma Mahogany. Pha Khao Lao, 7 September 2021, https://www.phakhaolao.la/kb/0000007.
Chicago 17th ed. Pha Khao Lao. 2021. "ສີສຽດ / Burma Mahogany." Published September 7, 2021. https://www.phakhaolao.la/kb/0000007.
Cambodian: thika, thit, kashit, thit so
English: Burma mahogany
Sisiet is a 5-15 m tall tree, with a DBH of 20-50 cm, and steep extensive buttresses. Its grey outer bark is 2 cm thick, and the inner bark is reddish with a sticky red sap. Branches and young parts are reddish brown and hairy. The soft oval leaves measure 8-15 x 4-8 cm, with a white-green lower blade and jagged edges. The leaf stalk petiole and leaf nerves are hairy. Inflorescences consist of a 5-10 cm long cluster of white, hairy, bell-shaped flowers, each about 5 mm long. The fruit is a five-winged green capsule, 4-5 cm long and 5-5.5 cm wide with a hairy seed, 1-1.5 cm long.
The tannin-rich bark of Sisiet is a component in the chewing of betel (nuts of Areca catechu), a traditional stimulant used by old people all over Laos and northeast Thailand. It is supposed to strengthen the teeth. The wood of this tree also has a high tannin content and is used in traditional medicine and the preservation of hides. A natural red dye is obtained from bark.