Sandalwood cannot stand alone

Tweet

I wrote about Australia’s kurrajong tree and had some very interesting comments on the discussion. MyLotter, @koopharper, works with wood and we talked a bit about sandalwood. There are a few species of sandalwood; some more valued than others. In the 1840s, Santalum spicatum was Western Australia’s biggest export earner. The oil concentration is highly valued by aromatherapists and perfumers. The fragrance is retained in the wood for decades, is highly distinctive and features in the ceremonies of many religions. The timber is heavy, yellow and fine-grained. Like the Australian Christmas tree (Nuytsia floribunda – so named because it flowers around Christmas time), the sandalwood is a hemiparasitic tree and latches onto the root systems of host trees. It relies on the host tree for its nutrients. Host trees include acacias (wattles), and casuarinas such as ironwoods and sheoaks. The slow-growing sandalwood was once abundant in our goldfield areas but was very much over-harvested. Some people are trying to establish areas of sandalwood for future harvest as it is one of the world’s most expensive woods. The photo is of a small-lidded bowl made from sandalwood. You can see that it is an attractive wood.