With reference to ‘Red Sanders’, sometimes seen in the news, consider the following statements: 1. It is a tree species found in a part of South India. 2. It is one of the most important trees in the tropical rain forest areas of South India. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Statement 1 is correct. Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) is a small tree endemic to the Eastern Ghats of South India, mainly in Andhra Pradesh (Seshachalam and Nallamalai hills) and parts of Tamil Nadu. It is found nowhere else in the world in the wild.

Statement 2 is wrong. It is not a tropical rain forest tree. It grows in dry deciduous and scrub forests on rocky, well-drained soils. Its heartwood is valued for its deep red colour and is exported, mainly to East Asia, for dyes and musical instruments. Because of illegal felling, it is listed under CITES Appendix II and is protected in India. Its rarity makes it a conservation and trade-regulation topic, which can come up in Mains under biodiversity and environment.

The core concept is the endemism of Eastern Ghats flora, which is a useful link for questions on biogeography.

Trap: Aspirants often assume any valuable South Indian timber comes from the Western Ghats rain forests. Red Sanders is an Eastern Ghats dry-forest species, so statement 2 is the one to reject.