Biogeography and traditional use of Santalum in the Pacific region [sandalwood]. [Symposium paper]
1993
Brennan, P. | Merlin, M. (Hawaii Univ., Honolulu. Dept. of General Science)
Santalum has a disjunct known distribution among the islands of the Pacific Ocean. During the prehistoric period, Melanesian and Polynesian Islanders, who had access to native sandalwood trees and shrubs, utilised the aromatic heartwood for a variety of medicinal and other purposes. Some uses had significant social import, motivating trade of Santalum from Fiji to Tonga for status and aesthetic reasons. Pre-contact trade of sandalwood may also have occurred between other South Pacific Islands in Eastern Polynesia. The biogeography of Santalum spp. is described, and some aspects of the ancient and more recent history of the use of, and human environmental impact on, sandalwood species in the Pacific are reviewed.
Показать больше [+] Меньше [-]