The high value of the species has caused over-exploitation, to the point where the wild population is vulnerable to extinction.

The reddish or brown bark can be almost black and is smooth in young trees, becoming cracked with a red reveal.

[7] Santalum album is included in the family Santalaceae, and is commonly known as white or East Indian sandalwood.

[8] The name, Santalum ovatum, used by Robert Brown in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae (1810) was described as a synonym of this species by Alex George in 1984.

Other species in the genus Santalum, such as the Australian S. spicatum, are also referred to as true sandalwoods, to distinguish them from trees with similar-smelling wood or oil.

[11][12] Sandalwood is originally native to dry areas in Indonesia (Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands), the Philippines, and Western Australia, where it is found with close congeners.

[3][13] Sandalwood is now cultivated in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Northern Australia.

The trunk of the tree starts to develop its fragrance after about 10 years of growth, but is not ready to harvest till after 20.

[15] It is threatened by over-exploitation and degradation to habitat through altered land use, fire (to which this species is extremely sensitive), Spike disease, agriculture, and land-clearing are the factors of most concern.

It is yellow-brown in color, hard with an oily texture and due to its durability, is a preferred material for carving.

The high value of sandalwood has led to attempts at cultivation, this has increased the distribution range of the plant.

[21] HPTLC and GC,[citation needed] GC-MS based methods are used for qualitative and quantitative analyses of the volatile [22] essential oil constituents.

The wood and oil are in high demand and are an important trade item in three main regions: The use of S. album in India is noted in literature for over two thousand years.

The decline is blamed on government policy and over-exploitation, and moves have been made to encourage planters to grow the trees again.

[23] The native species, Santalum spicatum, is more common and extensively grown in Western Australia, but as of 2020[update] there are two commercial Indian sandalwood plantations in full operation based in Kununurra, in the far north of Western Australia: Quintis (formerly Tropical Forestry Services), which in 2017 controlled around 80 per cent of the world's supply of Indian sandalwood,[25] and Santanol.

[26] True sandalwood is grated against a stone, coral, or ceramic surface to make a sun-protective medicinal paste called msindzano, worn on the faces of women and girls in Comoros.

[1] As of 2020[update], small plantations of true sandalwood also exist in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and the Pacific Islands.

[28] Sandalwood has been used over a longtime in China for the construction of statues and temples, and was burned in censers during religious rites.