Sandalwood Research: A Global Perspective

Sandalwood is a commercially and culturally important plant species belonging to the familySantalaceae and the genus Santalum. Sandalwood oil extracted from the heartwood has been used forperfumery, medicinal, religious and cultural purposes over centuries of years. In addition to oil, the woodand its powder are used for religious, cultural and medicinal purposes especially in the Asian and Arabregions. There are around 18 sandalwood species belonging to the genus Santalum which are; S.freycinetianum, S. haleakalae, S. ellipticum, S. peniculatum, S. pyrularium, S. involutum, S. boninese, S.insulare, S. austrocaledonicum, S. yasi, S. macgregorii, S. accuminatum, S. murrayanum, S. obtusifolium,S. lanceolatum, S. fernandezianum, S. salicifolium and S. spicatum. All the sandalwood species areidentified as obligate wood hemi-parasites which means they absorb certain nutrients such as phosphatesand nitrates from the host trees via root connections called haustoria.