Santalum acuminatum, the desert quandong, is an evergreen, hemiparasitic tree in the sandalwood family, Santalaceae, which is widely dispersed throughout the central deserts and southern areas of Australia. The tree's fruit, known as quandongs or native peaches, are used as bush tucker and as an exotic flavouring, which has led to attempts to domesticate the tree. The fruit can be stewed to make filling for quandong pies or made into a fruit juice drink. The kernels inside the stones of the fruit can be crushed into a paste and then used on sore gums or gum boils to ease the pain. Because it is one of the few drought-tolerant fruit trees in far-west New South Wales, the tree is widely utilised by Australian Aboriginals.
Description Santalum acuminatum grows as a tall shrub, or small tree, 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) high and 2–4 m (6.6–13.1 ft) wide. The rough bark is dark grey and the branches ascending in character. Smaller plants formed by suckers from the roots are sometimes found surrounding larger plants. The smaller branches have a more weeping habit. The slender to ovate leaves are pointed at the tip, and are pale yellowish-green bringing a slightly grey and leathery appearance. These are supported on a short leaf stem, 5 – 10 mm long, the leaves themselves being 45 – 115 mm long. They are tapered in outline, and arranged in opposite pairs on the branchlets. Flowers can be green or creamy white on the outer parts, reddish or yellowish brown on the inner faces; these appear on stems, are just 2–3 mm across, and are fragrant. Fruit is produced after 4 years and is red or sometimes yellow, measuring between 20 and 25 mm across. A 3-mm layer of flesh covers a brain-like nut with a hard shell that encases the seed. This fruit is referred to as a drupe. It ripens from green to a shiny red in late spring or summer, and is globe-shaped and 20 to 40 mm across. The skin of the fruit is waxy. Roots are adapted to a hemiparasitic mechanism, using a haustorium, on roots able to reach out 10 m to other root systems.
Taxonomy and naming The species shares the common name quandong with other plants, bearing similar fruit; it may be distinguished as the "desert" or "sweet". The name quandong usually refers to the fruit of S. acuminatum in commercial usage. Variant spelling includes quondong and quandang. The fruit and plant are also named sweet quandong and native peach. The plant was known to many different indigenous language groups, and is therefore known by many different names. The Wiradjuri people of New South Wales use the name guwandhang, from which the name quandong was adapted. Other indigenous names include; wolgol (Noongar, South Western Australia) gutchu (Wotjobaluk, Western Victoria); wanjanu or mangata (Pitjantjatjara, Uluru), and goorti (Narungga). The species was first described by Robert Brown, named in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae (1810) as Fusanus acuminatus, based on his type collection made at Fowlers Bay, South Australia, in 1802. Brown gave the Latin epithet acuminatus to denote the leaves – sharpened or pointed. The botanist Alphonse Pyrame de Candolle gave the current name in 1857, placing it in the genus Santalum; the genus containing Australian sandalwood, Santalum spicatum, and white sandalwood, Santalum album. Several botanical names have been deemed to be synonymous with Santalum acuminatum, as described in Flora of Australia (1984) and the Australian Plant Census (2006), these include: Santalum preissii F.Muell. in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae (1861); Santalum cognatum and Santalum preissianum of Miquel (1845); and Santalum densiflorum Gand. (1919). Mida acuminata was given by Otto Kuntze in an attempted revision, as with Eucarya acuminata (R.Br.) Sprague and Summerh. A number of cultivars have been named in application for plant breeders' rights, of which two have been accepted and another has been granted. The first named cultivar of the species was named Powell's # 1, but application for legal recognition of this name was withdrawn. The second is known as Powell's Red Supreme. Two names are given as accepted applications in the Plant Varieties Journal: Powell's Red Supreme and Saltbush Lane. One variety of S. acuminatum is named in accordance with the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants; following the publication of a description, Santalum acuminatum 'Frahn's Paringa Gem' became the first cultivar to be receive legal protection.
Distribution Santalum acuminatum is widely distributed throughout most southern regions of mainland Australia, including the arid centre of the country, and in some regions is common. The related Australian sandalwood, Santalum spicatum, was once more populous than this species; commercial exploitation has reversed this position. The plant occurs in Western Australia's north to Carnarvon and Karratha (21 N), reaching inland from the coastal plains, and is found throughout Southwest Australia. The number of recorded specimens in this region is low, and mainly restricted to coastal sandplains, its range having been impacted by altered land-use in the wheatbelt. Some populations are discontinuous in the distribution range, as with many species of the region, beyond the dispersal range of the seeds. Remote groups of the species are remnant to former distribution ranges, to different climates, and these may be isolated by hundreds of kilometres. The species is one of those in the region to include "wet outliers", small populations outside of the usual low rainfall habitat. Occurrence of the plant is also recorded in South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales, and Queensland. It is widespread in western New South Wales, eastwards to Dubbo and Culcairn. It is rare in the northwest of the state.
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