Sandal tree India seed Santalum album Sandalwood
LATIN NAME: Santalum album
COMMON NAME: Sandalwood
The sandalwood tree holds its small, pale-green leaves and the tiny, clustered flowers, and the whole tree carries the fine, warm, lingering scent in the wood. The small, evergreen, semi-parasitic tree carries the opposite, oval, pointed, pale-green leaves and the small, brownish-red or purplish flowers in the small, clustered panicles through the warm season, one of the fine, quiet sights of the warm garden, drawing the bees, to be followed by the small, round, dark-red to black fruits. The heartwood has a very long record as the fine, warm, world-famous scented wood of the old cabinets and the sacred halls, and the tree is a fine, historic presence of the warm garden. It is a tree of the open, sunny, deep, well-drained ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The sandalwood tree is a historic subject of the plant science, and the scented heartwood keeps showing up in the work on the aromatic woods. The chemistry of the pale-yellow heartwood, which carries the fine, warm, lingering oils of the old cabinets, has been studied closely, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the aromatic woods, the semi-parasitic trees and the members of the sandalwood family. The small, clustered flowers and the evergreen habit have also made it a fine study tree, and the sandalwood tree is a regular subject of the work on the scented heartwood of the warm world.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
The sandalwood tree is a fine, historic tree of the warm garden and the study collection. The pale-yellow heartwood has a very long record as the fine, warm, world-famous scented wood of the old cabinets, the sacred halls, the carved boxes and the fine oils, while the small, brownish-red or purplish flowers open in the small, clustered panicles through the warm season, drawing the bees, and the small, round, dark-red to black fruits follow. It is one of the fine choices for the warm garden, the conservatory and the study collection, and it has been written up in the botanical and the aromatic papers for the scented heartwood and the very long history. It is a fine, historic tree of the open, sunny, deep, well-drained garden.
Give the young trees the warmth and the sharp-draining soil, and the pale leaves will come over the years.
To grow the sandalwood tree from seed, sow the small, round seeds just below the surface of the tray of gritty, well-drained soil, keep the tray in a warm, bright spot and water gently, then pot the young trees on as they fill the pot. The seedlings thread up within a few weeks and grow on steadily. With the sun, the warmth and the deep, well-drained ground, the young trees will put on the fine, pale leaves over the years.
Santalum album or Indian sandalwood is a small tropical tree, the most commonly known source of sandalwood. This species has been utilised, cultivated and traded for many years, some cultures placing great significance on its fragrant and medicinal qualities. For these reasons it has been extensively exploited, to the point where the wild population is vulnerable to extinction. It still commands high prices for its essential oil, but due to lack of sizable trees it is no longer used for fine woodworking as before. The plant is widely cultivated and long lived, although harvest is viable after 40 years.
