Pterocarpus santalinus

Botanical Description

Pterocarpus santalinus is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree with a rather dense, rounded crown; growing from 10 - 20 metres tall[ 418 Title Ecocrop Publication Author Website http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available. ]. A relatively slow-growing tree, it usually has an erect bole with a diameter of 30 - 50cm[ 418 Title Ecocrop Publication Author Website http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available. ]. 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[ 1791 Title The Hongmu Challenge; A briefing for the 66th meeting of the CITES Standing Committee, January 2016 Publication Author Website http://www.eia-global.org Publisher Environmental Investigation Agency; London Year 2016 ISBN Description Lists the 33 species used in making Hungmu furniture and the degree of over-exploitation plus recommendations for protecting them. ]. 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[ 317 Title Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants Publication Author Website http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Terse details of a huge range of useful plants. , 2020 Title Trade in Indian Medicinal Plants Publication Ethnobotany of India Vol 5., 321-345, 2018 Author D.K.Ved, S.Noorunnisa Begum, & K.Ravi Kumar Publisher Apple Academic Press; Oakville, Canada Year 2018 ISBN 978-1-77188-600-0 Description ]. 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)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ]. 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[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].