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Nomenclature etc. FABACEAE-FABOIDEAE. Trade and local names: Rotes Sandelholz (DE); sandal rouge (FR); red sanders (GB, trade); sandalo rosso (IT); chandaman, panaka (IN). Listed in CITES Annex II.
Tree. Geographic distribution: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.
General. Heartwood basically red to yellow, brown to red to purple, brown to yellow (Heartwood bright orange brown, darkening to very dark brown or black upon exposure); without streaks. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Density (0.58–)0.77–0.85 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Two distinct vessel diameter classes absent. Average tangential vessel diameter 115–230–295 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 1–2. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) (8–)9–12(–13) µm, pits vestured. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders or with reduced borders or apparently simple, similar to intervessel pits or different from intervessel pits, rounded or angular. Helical thickenings absent. Other deposits present (orange brown).
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness to very thick-walled. Average fibre length 1035–1380–1660 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded or not banded. Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal). Bands fine. Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal (short tangential lines without contact to vessels). Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma aliform and confluent. Aliform parenchyma of the winged type. Axial parenchyma fusiform and as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 2.
Rays. Rays 12–17 per tangential mm, exclusively uniseriate or multiseriate (in some specimens also with few biseriate rays). Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular); homocellular ray cells procumbent.
Storied structures. Storied structure present, all rays storied, axial parenchyma storied, vessel elements storied, fibres storied. Number of ray tiers per axial millimetre 4–6.
Secretory structures. Intercellular canals absent.
Cambial variants. Included phloem absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract fluorescent (light greenish blue); colour of water extract colourless to brown (light orange brown). Ethanol extract fluorescent (rosé to orange, of variable intensity). Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown, or red. Froth test positive. Splinter burns to partial ash. Ash white to grey.
Illustrations. • Macroscopic images. transverse (ca. 10x). tangential (natural size). • Transverse section. • Tangential section. • Radial section.
The interactive key allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting specified attributes, summaries of attributes within groups of taxa, and geographical distribution.
Cite this publication as: ‘Richter, H.G., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2000 onwards. Commercial timbers: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. In English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. Version: 9th April 2019. delta-intkey.com’.
