CAT-00056
Sandalwood
Santalum spicatum
Catalog fields
- Genus
- Santalum
- Photo
- Not recorded
- Edible
- Yes
- layout
- single
- Habitat
- Grows in loam and among rocks in woodland and tall shrubland.
- Published
- Yes
- Food group
- Nut / seed
- Latin name
- Santalum spicatum
- Fruit photo
- Not recorded
- Plant title
- Sandalwood
- Source URLs
- https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Santalum%20spicatum | https://tuckerbush.com.au/sandalwood-nut-santalum-spicatum/ Open source ↗ Open source 2 ↗
- Catalogue ID
- CAT-00056
- Mature width
- 2m
- Native range
- Widespread from Shark Bay through inland regions of W.A. and in southern S.A.
- Plant family
- Santalaceae
- Supplier SKU
- Not recorded
- Listing group
- Nursery-listed / regional edible
- Mature height
- 4m
- Native states
- SA, WA
- Original list
- No
- Research date
- 10/10/2026
- Research notes
- Profile enriched from botanical/nursery sources. Dimensions are unpruned regional estimates where available; missing measurements remain explicit. Seasons are regional guides and vary with climate, location, cultivar and plant maturity. Drought and cultivation guidance are qualitative garden inferences, not measured ratings.
- Evidence status
- Nursery food-use source; preparation detail review pending
- Fruiting season
- Early-mid winter reported by nursery.
- Background photo
- Not recorded
- Edible component
- Nut kernel
- Flowering season
- February-March reported by nursery.
- Brief description
- Evergreen root hemiparasite grown for sandalwood and nuts.
- Drought tolerance
- High with a suitable host and established roots.
- Preparation notes
- Use only the kernel; shelling and preparation require confirmation.
- Flower description
- Small fragrant flowers; colour and form need further species-specific confirmation.
- General cultivation
- General guidance (qualitative): Specialist trial: needs compatible host plants and excellent drainage; humid summers may be difficult.
- Botanical description
- Shrub to 4 m tall. Bark rough, grey. Branchlets stiff, spreading. Leaves lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, flat, obtuse; lamina 2-7 cm long, 3-15 mm wide, concolorous, grey-green; petiole 3-5 mm long. Flowers numerous in panicles, scented; peduncle 3-5 mm long; pedicels 1 mm long. Receptacle 1-1.5 mm long. Tepals triangular-ovate, 1.5-2 mm long, scurfy inside, red-green, persistent in fruit; hair tufts small. Disc shortly lobed. Style 0.5 mm long; stigma bilobed. Drupe 1.5-2 cm diam.; epicarp green or brown; mesocarp firm, usually adhering to endocarp when ripe; endocarp smooth.
- Other botanical names
- Not recorded
- Attracts birds and bugs
- Native bees and insects visit flowers; canopy shelters birds.
- Flora of Australia profile
- https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Santalum%20spicatum Open source ↗
- Fruit type and description
- Drupe with a hard nut; edible kernel requires correct identification.
- Flora of Australia citation
- A.S. George. Santalum spicatum. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Canberra. https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Santalum%20spicatum (accessed 2026-10-14). Copyright Commonwealth of Australia; CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). HTML formatting removed; species-level context added where noted. Open source ↗ Open source 2 ↗
- Flora of Australia retrieved
- 14/10/2026