Mountain sandalwood is a shrub or small tree 3 to 10 meters in height. Its greenish-blue leaves are ovate to elliptic, 2.5-8 cm long and 2-4.5 cm wide. The upper leaf surface is shiny and the lower surface glaucous (covered with a powdery coat)and they are oppositely arranged along the twigs. The flowers are sweet smelling and usually clustered at the ends of the branches. The corolla (tube of fused petals) is green in the bud, turning brown or orange to salmon after opening. Each flower is between 4 to 8 mm long and contains both male and female reproductive parts. The ovary sits below the corolla and develops into a single seeded fleshy fruit. The mature fruits are black to purple and about 1 cm long.
(Wagner, W. L., Herbst, D. R., Sohmer, S. H. 1990. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai`i)
The leaves and bark of `iliahi were used to treat dandruff and hair nits by early Hawaiians. Hawaiian healers are also reported to have used wood shavings of `iliahi to treat venereal disease and skin sores.
(Chun, M. N. 1994. Native Hawaiian Medicine)
In the early 19th century, Santalum paniculatum and three other endemic species of sandalwood were severely over-harvested for the commercial export of their fragrant heartwood. Due to the slow growth of these trees and continued human disturbance, this species is uncommon in the native forests of Hawai`i.
Santalum paniculatum is only found on the Big Island of Hawai`i. Two distinct varieties are recognized: S. paniculatum var. paniculatum and S. paniculatum var. pilgeri. This species grows in dry woodlands to wet forests at elevations between 450 to 2,500 meters.
(Wagner, W. L., Herbst, D. R., Sohmer, S. H. 1990. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai`i)
Sandalwood trees are root-parasites, which means that they derive additional nutrients from neighboring host plants by means of specialized roots called "haustoria".
