`Iliahi   Santalum haleakalae,  Santalum ellipticum,  Santalum freycinetianum

Family:  Santalaceae

Description:  All sandalwood species native to Hawaii are known by the common name `Iliahi, though the different species grow in a wide range of habitats and have different growth forms.  Santalum ellipticum is a coastal, dry shrub.  S. freycinetianum is a small tree in dry to mesic mid elevations.  S. haleakalae is a tree that is found at higher elevations.  All sandalwood are parasitic and require a host plant where a network of roots help the sandalwood to survive.  This is why it is often thought that they are hard to grow.  Once established however, sandalwood will surprise you.  Beautiful flower clusters and greyish foliage add to the value of this plant in the landscape.  Many other species of sandalwood are grown around the world for the prized fragrance of the heartwood.  Native sandalwood once thrived in many parts of Hawaii 'til the sandalwood trade...a sad stroy.  We grow sandal wood from seed.  In the wild, seed is often eaten by rats, yet plants in cultivation produce prolific amounts of seed.  Germination takes patience, though we have seen carpets of seedlings under mature plantings.

(`Iliahi flower, Santalum haleakalae)

(Santalum freycinetianum in the wild)

(Santalum haleakalae, 1 year in the ground)

(`Iliahi in 1 gallon pot, Santalum ellipticum)

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