Plants of
South Australia
Santalum lanceolatum
Santalaceae
Native plumbush,
Plumbush,
Northern Sandalwood
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
Least concern
Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
Endangered
Critically endangered
Extinct
Data deficient
Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
Mount Gambier
Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 15

Prior names

Santalum leptocladum

Santalum lanceolatum var. angustifolium

Common names

Native plumbush

Plumbush

Northern Sandalwood

Etymology

Santalum from the Greek santalon, which is derived from the Sanskrit chandana meaning fragrant, named for the Indian sandalwood. Lanceolatum from the Latin lanceola, meaning a lance and referring to the shape of the leaf.

Distribution and status

Found across the arid regions of South Australia, north of Port Augusta with a few records from Yorke Peninsula, Northern Lofty and the Murraylands. Also occurs in Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queenlsand, New South Wales and Victoria. Common in South Australia. Common interstate.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Tall shrub or small tree to 4m tall with fleshy yellow-green leaves arranged in pairs and drooping down on the branches. Flower is small and pale yellow. Fruits are small, ovoid, dark red, fleshy fruit to about 1.5cm long. Seeds are small, woody, ovoid seed to 1cm long.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between September and January. Pick by hand fruits that are turning red and soft and the woody seed inside is hard. Place the fruits in a bucket of water and rub with your hands to remove the soft flesh. Remove any seeds that are floating. These will be empty seeds. Drain the water and keep only the hard seeds at the bottom. Place the seeds on paper towel and leave to dry. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. From one collection, the seed viability was high, at 100%. This species has physiological dormancy that need to be overcome for the seed to germinate (e.g. nicking the seed coat).

Seeds stored:
  Hide
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)		Number
of plants		Date
collected		Collection number
Collection location		Date
stored		% ViabilityStorage
temperature
 
MSB
310 (24.63 g)		24-Nov-2005DJD236
Flinders Ranges
 
MSB
1,300 (167 g)		>10011-Jan-2006DJD236
Flinders Ranges
BGA1,230 (87.11 g)50+10-Jan-2006DDC1430
Eastern		8-Aug-2006100%-18°C
Location: BGA — the seeds are stored at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, MSB — the seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, England.
Number of plants: This is the number of plants from which the seeds were collected.
Collection location: The Herbarium of South Australia's region name.
% Viability: Percentage of filled healthy seeds determined by a cut test or x-ray.
Germination table:
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We acknowledge the contributions of the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre, the Botanic Gardens of South Australia, and the Department for Environment and Water.