Wednesday, July 3, 2024

Santalum album L.

 

Family: Santalaceae

Synonym: Santalum myrtifolium (L.) Roxb

Vernacular name: Chandanam

Habit: Tree

Habitat: Dry deciduous forests, also grown in homesteads

Distribution: India

Flowering and Fruiting: November-December

Key identification features: It is an evergreen tree that can reach heights of up to 10 m. Its bark is dark grey to nearly black. The leaves are simple and arranged oppositely along the branches. They are elliptic, elliptic-ovate, or ovate-lanceolate. The flowers are bisexual, reddish-purple in color, and arranged in axillary and terminal paniculate cymes. Fruits are drupe.

Uses: Tender shoots kept as an offering to gods. Cattle graze on the leaves. Fruits are eaten by birds. Wood used in religious rituals.




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