Red sandalwood is a tree that gained its name from its red heartwood, which produces a dye used by religious Hindus for making marks on the forehead.4
"Saga", the Malay name for Adenanthera pavonina, has been traced to the Arabic for "goldsmith". This seed was used by jewelers in India's earliest system of weights.5 In the New World the Ka'paor tribe of Amazonia call it "bead red".6
Narrow strap-shaped pods coil when open, revealing the scarlet lens-shaped seed with a faint "heart line" on each side. The "heart line" on the red seed said it all for young lovers in China who exchanged necklaces and bracelets of the seeds as an expression of their love.7
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