Ecology, Status and Uses of Osyris Quadripartita (African Sandalwood) in Southern Ethiopia: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Osyris quadripartita (Africa sandalwood) is an evergreen root hemiparasite plant and belongs to the Santalaceae family which is most ordinarily referred to as African sandalwood. It’s a culturally and commercially important species that are used for herbal medicine, religious activities, and thus the perfumery refining industry. The species grows 1 m to 7 m tall counting on the soil type, climate, and genetic variation. The tree occurs on rocky ridges and mountain slopes with an altitude between 900 m to 2550 m above sea level. Regarding to geographic distribution species commonly found in the humid highland and semi-arid ecosystem of Ethiopian. The population structure were an inverted J-shape distribution form and therefore the plant habitats were mostly grouped under Acacia-Rhus-Terminalia community types. Regard to yield quality, it's concluded that sandalwood populations vary substantially within the stock and quality of oil which can be produced. In terms of oil stock the root system is superior to shoot system in quality aspects. Therefore, the main review of this paper was to admission the latest Osyris research and its importance and standing in Ethiopia in order that the knowledge are often used as an honest reference resource for researchers, students, conservationist and NGOs working in Ethiopia within the area of oil crops generally and Osyris in specific.

Keywords: Osyris quadripartita, Sandalwood, population structure, Oil crop, Ethiopia

DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/11-13-02

Publication date:July 31^st 2021