Common Name: Red Saunders

General Information

Pterocarpus santalinus is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree with a rather dense, rounded crown; growing from 10 - 20 metres tall[]. A relatively slow-growing tree, it usually has an erect bole with a diameter of 30 - 50cm[].
A very valuable tree, widely exploited from the wild and traded for its wood, dyestuff and several medicinal uses. It supplies a very good timber - it is one of 33 species named as being a suitable Hongmu (red wood) timber, used for producing high quality Chinese furniture following traditions from the Ming and Quing dynasty, which makes it a particularly valuable wood[]. It is also the source of a red dye that was used extensively before the advent of chemical dyes, and has a range of medicinal uses. It is sometimes planted for its timber and is also grown for the dyestuff it yields and as a windbreak for Citrus plantations[, ].
Pterocarpus santalinus only has a small natural range in southern India, and has been overexploited in the past for timber, dyestuff and medicines. The population is still declining due to the illegal harvest of mature individuals to provide the much sought after timber, Red Sandalwood. There is also decline in the quality and extent of the species native habitat due to human pressures on the landscape, for example, livestock grazing. The plant is classified as 'Near Threatened' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2018)[]. The species is currently protected under national and international trade regulations. The conservation focus is on reducing the illegal harvest of the species and establishing cultivated areas of the tree to reduce risk to wild stock[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - southeastern India.

Habitat

Dry, deciduous forests in hilly and often rocky ground at elevations from 150 - 1,000 metres[, ]. It prefers moderate slopes, low ridges and spurs, but is also found on quite steep hillsides[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Near Threatened
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	15.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Bees
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Pterocarpus santalinus is a tree of tropical areas with a distinct dry season, where it is found at elevations from 150 - 1,000 metres[]. It grows best in areas where the mean annual temperature is within the range 26 - 32°c, but can tolerate 7 - 46°c[]. It is killed by temperatures falling below 0°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall of 1,000 - 1,900mm, tolerating 875 - 2,800mm[].
Grows best in a sunny position[]. Prefers a medium to light, acid soil, succeeding in soils of low fertility[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 5.5, but tolerates 4.5 - 6.5[].
natural fruit set is a consequence of pollinator activity
The pollination ecology is vulnerable to the dry and hot conditions of the tree's native habitat, with most pollinator activity occurring.during moonlit night and early morning hours. Self-compatibility through geitonogamy is virtually inevitable in order for the species to produce fruits in situations when pollinators are scarce[].
The shoots of young trees usually die off each year in the hot, dry season, though the roots increase in size[]. Eventually the shoots become strong enough to withstand the hot, dry winds and the plant then develops into a tree[].
The trees mature and are cut when around 100-120 years old[].
The trees respond well to coppicing, and also produce suckers[].
A coppice rotation of about 40 years is often practiced, though in some areas the tree is only allowed to grow for 3 years before being coppiced and the dye extracted[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

The heartwood is ground to a powder and used as the source of a red food colouring in a range of foods, but especially in commercial spice blends and sauces[]. It imparts orange-red shades and also a sweet-spicy flavour. In Europe it is classified as a 'spice extract' rather than a food colorant[].

Medicinal

The wood, used in the form of a powder or chips, is antiinflammatory, astringent and tonic[]. A paste of the wood is brewed as a tea in the treatment of chronic dysentery and is used to make a treatment for diabetes and as a boost for the immune system[, ].
A decoction of the wood and bark, taken orally, relieves chronic dysentery, worms, haemorrhages, vomiting of blood, weak vision and hallucinations[]. The stem bark powder, mixed with soft porridge, has been used in treating diarrhoea[]. Cups made up with the wood have traditionally been used for drinking water as a treatment of diabetes[].
The wood is an ingredient of many medicinal oils and pharmaceutical preparations in India[].
The powdered wood is applied topically to control bleeding piles and inflammation[].
The heartwood is made into a paste with water, honey, ghee and oil, then applied a collyrium to alleviate defects of vision. Considered to be a cooling application, the paste is also used topically for treating boils and other skin eruptions and diseases, infections, inflammations, bone fractures, leprosy, spider poisoning, scorpion stings, hiccough, ulcers, general debility and metal aberrations[]. It is also applied to the forehead to relieve headaches[, , ]

A decoction of the fruits is used as an astringent tonic to cure chronic dysentery and to check dermatological conditions including psoriasis[].

A ligand isolated from the heartwood is known to inhibit tumor activity[].
The aurone glycosides isolated from the heartwood have been reported to exhibit antiplasmodial activity, and have been used as a potential antileishmanial drug[].
Methanol and aqueous extracts of the heartwood have shown antihepatotoxicity activity[].
Himoliv, a polyherbal ayurvedic formulation containing this species, has been reported to possess hepatoprotective activity[].
The stem bark extract was shown to contain maximum activity against Enterobacter aerogenes, Alcaligenes faecalis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus[].
A leaf extract also showed maximum activity against Escherichia coli, Alcaligenes faecalis, Enterobacter aerogenes, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.[]
An ethanolic stem bark extract is known to possess antihyperglycaemic activity[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Grown as a windbreak tree for Citrus plantations[].

Other Uses

Santalin, a red colouring material, is obtained from the dark red to black heartwood[]. A deep red dye, it is used locally and commercially for colouring silk, cotton etc and as caste sign. It is also used to colour foods and pharmaceutical preparations[, , ].

The extracted oil is used as a rejuvenating face cream[].
An extract of the stem is used as a hair conditioner in commercial cosmetic productions[]
An extract of the wood is used as an astringent and tonic in commercial cosmetic preparations[].
The wood powder is used as a skin conditioner in commercial cosmetic preparations[].

The wood is used as an incense base, both for its fragrance in Myanmar and also as Tibetan medicine[]

The wood and bark are sources of tannin[, ].

A fibre is obtained from the inner bark[]. It is reddish in colour, composed of quite fine filaments with moderate strength. A twisted cord of the fibre, about the size of common manila-paper twine, would show about the same tenacity. It would doubtless make a good paper stock, if it could be cheaply extracted and in large quantities[].

The heartwood is orange-red when first cut, turning dark claret-red to almost black; the sapwood is white[]. The wood is heavy and extremely hard[, ]. A beautiful and valuable wood, the fragrant, red heartwood is used for expensive furniture, cabinet making, musical instruments, carving etc, whilst it is also valued for carpentry, agricultural implements, fence posts etc[, , , ]. The wood is much used for carving statues etc[]. Wood with a wavy grain has very unusual acoustic properties and is in high demand in Japan for the manufacture of 'shamisen' a traditional musical instrument[].

Propagation

Seed -

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