The Sandalwood

Our exposure to this interesting tree over the last thirteen years has taught us many new things, some of which have not found their way into publication They are similar to the quandong and a good starting point for basic cultural practices is the booklet published by Nectarbrook Discovery Plantation.

S. spicatum is parasitic and it's ability to grow in poor soils on mineralised water may have much to do with the host plant ability to withstand these conditions, the host plant acting as a filter. It will kill citrus and other trees with low water potential and if too few hosts are available the host can be damaged. We have sandalwood cultivars from the Pilbara in WA to Pt Pirie in SA. An immense diversity in type and appearance is shown. Flower colour is generally a brick red. Leaves can be narrow. Fruit colour can range from brown to red . Most fruit has the flavour and texture of a cardboard box.

All cultivars we have in plantation were collected using the following criteria.

Thin shelled tasty nuts.
Heavy crops of nuts.
Big vigorous trees.
Strong fragrance in the timber.

This is at least the first level of selection but as the sandalwood plant appears to inherit the characteristics of the plant populations they were sourced from, clonal propagation may be necessary to develop superior cultivars.

Sandalwood has always been one of Australia's highest value crops sourced from the wild and still does earn millions of Dollars of export income. With the Sandalwood in SA essentially cut out by the 1930's the only source of supply is from the wild in WA.

Plantation Sandalwood will become a significant supply source in the future

The timber is valuable for the essential aromatic oils extracted from the timber. Australian Sandalwood oil, essential for the manufacture of quality perfumes, contain anti-bacterial pharmaceuticals that are unique to it.

Plantation grown Sandalwood will be the only source of the nut kernels. These are excellent eating, a truly Australian nut tree for every back yard. There are also significant organic pharmaceuticals in the Sandalwood nut.