E. Ind. Also tesu, tesoo, teeso, tisso. [Hindī, etc. tēsū.] The brilliant orange-red flowers of the DHAK or PALAS of India (Butea frondosa and B. superba), or the yellow dye obtained from these. Also attrib. as teesoo-flower.
1823. Playfair, trans. Tale of Shereef, 333. Tesoo.
1835. Royle, Bot. of Himalayas, 195. Teesoo, Keesoo.
1848. Irvine, Mat. Medica Patna, 475. Tesu.
1855. J. F. Royle, Fibrous Plants India, 297. Useful from its large flowers, called teesoo and keesoo, yielding a beautiful dye.
1858. Simmonds, Dict. Trade, Teeso-flowers, Keeso-flowers, the large flowers of Butea frondosa.
1862. Balfour, Timber Trees, 61. Tesu. Ibid. (1871), in Cycl. India, s.v. Butea frondosa, Tesu, Kisu [names of the flowers in Deccan].
