''Santalum lanceolatum'' is an Australian tree of the family

Santalaceae The Santalaceae, sandalwoods, are a widely distributed family of flowering plants (including small trees, shrubs, perennial herbs, and epiphytic climbersHewson & George t al.br>''Santalaceae'' taxonomy, 1984, pp. 191-194.) which, like other mem ...

. It is commonly known as desert quandong, northern sandalwood, sandalwood, or true sandalwood and in some areas as ''burdardu''. The mature height of this plant is variable, from 1 to 7 m. The flowers are green, white, and cream, appearing between January and October. The species has a distribution throughout central Australia, becoming scattered or unusual in more southern regions.

Taxonomy

''Santalum lanceolatum'' was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in ''

Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae ''Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen'' (Prodromus of the Flora of New Holland and Van Diemen's Land) is a flora of Australia written by botanist Robert Brown and published in 1810. Often referred to as ''Prodromus Flora Novae ...

''.

Distribution and habitat

The native range of the plant extends from north-western

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, northwards through

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

to North Queensland, westwards across The Northern Territory and into north-western

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. It is a plant primarily of arid and semiarid inland areas, although its distribution reaches the coast in both

Central Queensland Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland ( a state in Australia) that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton. The region extends from the Capricorn Coas ...

and

the Kimberley The Kimberley is the northernmost of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami deserts in the region of the Pilbara, an ...

. The tree is becoming increasingly rare across much of its desert range due to destructive browsing by feral camels.

Ecology

The family Santalaceae falls within the mistletoe clade, and ''S. lanceolatum'' is a hemi

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

, which obtains some of its water and mineral nutrient requirements from the roots of other plants.

Medicinal uses

The plant is used by the people of the northwest for medicinal purposes, and is placed within the 'Burndad song cycle' of those countries. In the Marra language, it is called ''dumbuyumbu''. This name also occurs in neighbouring languages such as Alawa and is used in Roper River Kriol. Burning the leaves repels insects.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3020911 Australian Aboriginal bushcraft lanceolatum Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Flora of the Northern Territory Flora of Victoria (state) Drought-tolerant trees Trees of Australia Medicinal plants Plants described in 1810