Pterocarpi Lignum, Red Sanders Wood
Pterocarpi Lignum, commonly known as Red Sanders Wood is the heart-wood of Pterocarpus santalinus. It belongs to the Leguminosæ family. This is a group of herbaceous plants including the pea and bean plants. The part of the plant used is the wood.
Synonyms – Red Sandal Wood, Santalum Rubrum, Rubywood
Habitat – Ceylon, Malabar, Madras Presidency
Uses – Red Sanders Wood is valueless as a medicine. It is used in pharmacy for colouring tinctures and is used in the arts as a dye.
Characteristics – A warm woody and faintly aromatic odour with a sharp taste. Externally red sanders wood is reddish brown or blackish-brown in colour. Internally it is a deep blood red in colour. The colouring principle, Santalin is soluble in alcohol but virtually insoluble in water.