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UPSC Prelims 2016 · Environment · Nature’s Machinery
With reference to 'Red Sanders', sometimes seen in the news, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- It is a tree species found in a part of South India.
- It is one of the most important trees in the tropical rain forest areas of South India.
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (a) 1 only
Endemic to the dry hills of Andhra; not a rainforest tree.
Statement by statement
1. ✓ CORRECT Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) is endemic to the southern Eastern Ghats — Seshachalam hills of Andhra Pradesh.
2. ✗ WRONG It grows in dry deciduous forest on rocky hills, not in rainforest.
The idea
Red sanders grows naturally in one small area only: the dry, rocky hills of the southern Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh (Seshachalam, Palakonda and nearby ranges). That region is in a rain shadow and its forest is dry deciduous. A species confined to one area is called endemic.
Grows only in a few hill ranges of Andhra Pradesh → Very slow growing → Deep red wood in high demand abroad → Heavy smuggling → Listed in CITES; classed as Endangered
The trap
High-value timber is linked in the mind with rainforest. Red Sanders is a dry-forest species.
Also know
The wood is prized in East Asia for furniture and musical instruments. It has no scent; the fragrant tree is sandalwood, a different species of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Seshachalam is a biosphere reserve.
🔒 Red Sanders: Seshachalam (AP), dry deciduous; IUCN Endangered; smuggled for its red wood (CITES Appendix II).