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?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) 1 only
Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) is endemic to a small tract of the Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh, so it is found only in a part of South India. It grows in dry deciduous forest, not in tropical rainforest, so statement 2 is wrong.
- ✓ 1. The IUCN describes it as an Indian endemic tree with a restricted range in the Eastern Ghats, in a distinct tract of forest in Andhra Pradesh.
- ✗ 2. It grows in dry deciduous forests, on dry, hilly and often rocky ground, and is not a tree of the tropical rainforests of South India.
Remember · Red Sanders: endemic to the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh; a dry-deciduous-forest tree, not a rainforest one; IUCN Endangered and listed under CITES Appendix II.
Sources
- IUCN Red List: Pterocarpus santalinus (Red Sanders), 2021 assessment ↗ “It has a restricted geographic range in the Eastern Ghats where the species is endemic to a distinct tract of forest in the state of Andhra Pradesh. … It grows in dry deciduous forests where it can be mixed with other native species or form pure stands”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2016, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·