Santalum spicatum
Encyclopedia
Santalum spicatum, a species known as Australian sandalwood, is a tree native to semi-arid areas at the edge of Southwest Australia
. It is traded as sandalwood
and its valuable oil has been used as an aromatic
, a medicine and a food source. S. spicatum is one of four high value Santalum
species occurring in Australia
.
and is one of four species to occur in Western Australia. It has a similar distribution to quandong
(Santalum acuminatum
) and is a hemi-parasite requiring macro-nutrients from roots of hosts. It has a shrubby to small tree habit, but can grow to 6 metres and is tolerant of drought and salt. The foliage is grey-green in colour. The fruit of S. spicatum is spherical, about 3 cm in diameter and is orange. An edible kernel with a hard shell forms the bulk of the fruit; the shell is smoother than S. acuminatum's deeply pitted surface. Germination occurs during warm and moist conditions. The impact of over cultivation and land clearing for agriculture, since the 1880s, has greatly reduced the range of the species. The oils produced by the tree contain a greater complexity of chemicals, many of which have antimicrobial
qualities.
The harvest and export of S. spicatum has been an important part of the west Australian economy, at one time forming more than half of the states revenue. Settlement of the Wheatbelt area was accelerated by the funds generated by 'Sandalwood' found there. Distribution and population of the endemic stands were significantly affected during periods of rural development and economic downturn.
Research by the Forestry Products Commission (Western Australia
), State universities and private industry is being undertaken into the cultivation of the tree and the properties of its wood and nuts. Replanting has occurred at some properties as a land restoration strategy, a food crop and in the long term for harvest. Oil valued at $1 000(Au) per kilogram is produced at Mount Romance in Albany, Western Australia
.
The area of commercial plantations has risen from 7 to 70 km² between 2000 and 2006. The export of 2 000 tonnes of sandalwood a year is primarily sourced from wild stands of the remote rangelands and Goldfields Region of Western Australia. The harvest of naturally occurring trees is reduced when compared to the industry of the nineteenth century. Exports of over 50 000 tonnes in the last decade were related to agricultural expansion by increased access and harvesters.
, wodjil Acacia resinimarginea and mulga Acacia aneura are also used.
Southwest Australia
Southwest Australia is a biodiversity hotspot that includes the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregions of Western Australia. The region has a wet-winter, dry-summer Mediterranean climate, one of five such regions in the world...
. It is traded as sandalwood
Sandalwood
Sandalwood is the name of a class of fragrant woods from trees in the genus Santalum. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and unlike many other aromatic woods they retain their fragrance for decades. As well as using the harvested and cut wood in-situ, essential oils are also extracted...
and its valuable oil has been used as an aromatic
Aroma compound
An aroma compound, also known as odorant, aroma, fragrance or flavor, is a chemical compound that has a smell or odor...
, a medicine and a food source. S. spicatum is one of four high value Santalum
Santalum
Santalum is a genus of woody flowering plants, the best known and commercially valuable of which is the Indian Sandalwood tree, S. album. Members of the genus are trees or shrubs. Most are root parasites which photosynthesize their own food but tap the roots of other species for water and...
species occurring in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Description
It belongs to the family SantalaceaeSantalaceae
Santalaceae is a widely distributed family of flowering plants which, like other members of Santalales, are partially parasitic on other plants...
and is one of four species to occur in Western Australia. It has a similar distribution to quandong
Quandong
Quandong, quandang or quondong, is a common name for the species Santalum acuminatum , especially its edible fruit, but may also refer to* Aceratium concinnum...
(Santalum acuminatum
Santalum acuminatum
Santalum acuminatum, the desert quandong, is a hemiparasitic plant in the Sandalwood family Santalaceae, widely dispersed throughout the central deserts and southern areas of Australia....
) and is a hemi-parasite requiring macro-nutrients from roots of hosts. It has a shrubby to small tree habit, but can grow to 6 metres and is tolerant of drought and salt. The foliage is grey-green in colour. The fruit of S. spicatum is spherical, about 3 cm in diameter and is orange. An edible kernel with a hard shell forms the bulk of the fruit; the shell is smoother than S. acuminatum's deeply pitted surface. Germination occurs during warm and moist conditions. The impact of over cultivation and land clearing for agriculture, since the 1880s, has greatly reduced the range of the species. The oils produced by the tree contain a greater complexity of chemicals, many of which have antimicrobial
Antimicrobial
An anti-microbial is a substance that kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, or protozoans. Antimicrobial drugs either kill microbes or prevent the growth of microbes...
qualities.
Commercial use
Research by the Forestry Products Commission (Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
), State universities and private industry is being undertaken into the cultivation of the tree and the properties of its wood and nuts. Replanting has occurred at some properties as a land restoration strategy, a food crop and in the long term for harvest. Oil valued at $1 000(Au) per kilogram is produced at Mount Romance in Albany, Western Australia
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
.
The area of commercial plantations has risen from 7 to 70 km² between 2000 and 2006. The export of 2 000 tonnes of sandalwood a year is primarily sourced from wild stands of the remote rangelands and Goldfields Region of Western Australia. The harvest of naturally occurring trees is reduced when compared to the industry of the nineteenth century. Exports of over 50 000 tonnes in the last decade were related to agricultural expansion by increased access and harvesters.
Cultivation
Germination is difficult and may depend on the El Niño cycle. Success has been reported by placing the kernels in moist vermiculite in sealed plastic bags at room temperature. Once germinated, it should be planted next to a (preferably Australian native) seedling, and watered adequately.Host Species
The main host species is Acacia acuminata which is used in plantations which sustains a 15 to 30 year long term host species in loamy sands over clay duplex soils. Rock sheaok Allocasuarina huegelianaAllocasuarina huegeliana
Allocasuarina huegeliana, commonly known as rock sheoak or sighing sheoak, is a tree in the family Casuarinaceae. Endemic to Western Australia, it occurs throughout the Wheatbelt. It is now especially common on road verges, where it sometimes forms thickets.Rock sheoak grows to a height of...
, wodjil Acacia resinimarginea and mulga Acacia aneura are also used.