Adenanthera pavonina Seeds | Red Sandalwood
LATIN NAME: Adenanthera pavonina
COMMON NAME: Red Sandalwood, Peacock Flower Fence
Plant Profile
Red Sandalwood (Adenanthera pavonina) is a deciduous tree of the pea family (Fabaceae), native to South and Southeast Asia and planted throughout the tropics. It reaches 6-15 m, with feathery bipinnate leaves, fragrant yellow flower spikes and curled pods that split to reveal brilliant scarlet, lens-shaped seeds. The hard, heavy, red heartwood is used for carving, and the seeds serve as beads and traditional weights.
Science & Biotechnology
Adenanthera pavonina sits in the Adenanthera group, a group that keeps botanists, horticulturists and plant breeders busy with questions of classification, adaptation and ornamental potential. The tree’s reddish heartwood, sometimes traded under name red sandalwood despite being unrelated to true sandalwood in the genus Santalum, has also been studied for its distinct pigment chemistry, which differs from that of true sandalwood species. The upshot for anyone sowing it is reassurance — cultivated stock of this plant has a long, well-documented track record.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Red Sandalwood earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. Red sandalwood’s brilliant scarlet seeds are widely used in jewellery, rosaries and traditional decorative crafts across South and Southeast Asia, and the tree’s reddish timber, though botanically unrelated to true sandalwood, has some traditional use in woodworking. As with its close relative, intact seeds are handled safely for craft purposes, but cracked or damaged seeds should be discarded, and seeds should always be kept well out of reach of young children. In later seasons it demands little more than an appreciative eye.
The bright red seeds of the red sandalwood tree are used as beads and traditional weights, while bark and leaf preparations appear in Southeast Asian folk medicine. The seeds are not edible and should be kept as ornament only.
Growing from Seed
Starting Red Sandalwood from seed is simple and satisfying. Nick or lightly sand hard seed coat and soak it in warm water overnight before sowing into a loose, free-draining tropical mix. Keep medium warm and consistently moist, provide bright light, and expect this vigorous tropical tree to establish readily, in time producing striking pods of glossy scarlet seeds that make species so recognisable. Use a fine, free-draining seed compost, scatter the seed evenly, cover it lightly and hold it just moist in good light. Transplant the sturdiest seedlings to their permanent spots and let them develop without disturbance.
Our Take
Red Sandalwood, Peacock Flower Fence has real presence in the garden without demanding much in return. It is a solid representative of the Adenanthera group, true to type from seed. Keep the sowing evenly moist at the start — that is the one real requirement.
Related Reading
Readers interested in Red Sandalwood frequently explore these as well: