Santalaceae

{{Short description|Family of flowering plants}}

{{Automatic taxobox

|image = Starr_021209-0016_Santalum_ellipticum.jpg

|image_caption = Santalum ellipticum

|taxon = Santalaceae

|authority = R.Br.

|synonyms = Viscaceae {{small|Batsch (1802)}}

|synonyms_ref = [https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30016540-2 Santalaceae R.Br.] Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 23 April 2025.

}}

The Santalaceae, sandalwoods, are a widely distributed family of flowering plants (including small trees, shrubs, perennial herbs, and epiphytic climbersHewson & George [et al.], [http://www.lrm.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/122133/SANTALACEAE.pdf Santalaceae taxonomy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324153905/http://www.lrm.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/122133/SANTALACEAE.pdf |date=2015-03-24 }}, 1984, pp. 191-194.) which, like other members of Santalales, are partially parasitic on other plants. Its flowers are bisexual or, by abortion ("flower drop"), unisexual.Pilger, R. [http://www.parasiticplants.siu.edu/Santalaceae/Pilger1935En2.pdf Santalaceae] (with 17 figures). R. Br. Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holl. (1810) 350, pp. 1-45. Modern treatments of the Santalaceae include the family Viscaceae (mistletoes), previously considered distinct.

The APG II system of 2003 recognises the family and assigns it to the order Santalales in the clade core eudicots. However, the circumscription by APG is much wider than accepted by previous classifications, including the plants earlier treated in families Eremolepidaceae and Viscaceae. It includes about 1,000 species in 43 genera.{{cite journal | author = Christenhusz, M. J. M. | author2 = Byng, J. W. | name-list-style = amp | year = 2016 | title = The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase | journal = Phytotaxa | volume = 261 | pages = 201–217 | url = http://biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/download/phytotaxa.261.3.1/20598 | doi = 10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1 | issue = 3 | publisher = Magnolia Press | doi-access = free }} Many have reported traditional and cultural uses, including as medicine.{{cite journal |last1=O'Neill |first1=A. R.| last2=Rana | first2= S. K. | date=2019 |title=An ethnobotanical analysis of parasitic plants (Parijibi) in the Nepal Himalaya |journal=Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine |volume=12 |issue=14 |page=14|doi=10.1186/s13002-016-0086-y |pmid=26912113|pmc=4765049|doi-access=free }}