Aquilaria malaccensis Lam. Encycl. 1:49, t. 356. 1783
Family: Thymelaeaceae Juss.
Ayurved Name: Agaru [Bhavprakash]
Hindi Name: Agaru
Description: http://nlam.in/plant.php?00ec53c4682d36f5c4359f4ae7bd7ba1
Agarwood refers to a dark resinous heartwood of trees belonging predominantly to the genus Aquilaria (A.malaccensis and some other Indo-malaysian group) These trees have relatively light and pale colored heartwood but when they get infected with a parasitic ascomycetous mould, Phaeoacremonium parasitica, a dematiaceous (dark-walled) fungus, the tree's immune system secrets a resin high in volatile organic compounds that aids in suppressing or retarding the fungal growth, a process called tylosis. This process dramatically changes the unaffected light color heartwood to pale beige or dark brown/ black with increase in its mass and density. This resin is commonly known as gaharu, jinko, aloeswood, eaglewood, agarwood, or oudh (Arabic) The resin yields a volatile oil which is valued in many cultures for its distinctive fragrance, medicine and spiritual uses. In natural forest only about 7% of the trees are infected by the fungus which makes this oil highly expensive (US$50,000 to US$80,000 per litre.).
There are 17 species in the genus Aquilaria and eight are known to produce agarwood.Though Agarawood can be produced from all species, A.malaccensis is considered prime while A.cressna and A.sinensis are also harvested. Aquilaria species that produce agarwood are found throughout Asia, while occur naturally in South and Southeast Asia. The Indian sub-continent was the main source of agarwood for many centuries but as trees became scarce in the middle of the 20th century, extraction intensified in Indo-china. Later on it was extended to Indonesia and Malaysia. Today Agarwood plantations exist in a number of countries, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Thailand and Vietnam.
Family: Thymelaeaceae Juss.
Ayurved Name: Agaru [Bhavprakash]
Hindi Name: Agaru
Description: http://nlam.in/plant.php?00ec53c4682d36f5c4359f4ae7bd7ba1
Agarwood refers to a dark resinous heartwood of trees belonging predominantly to the genus Aquilaria (A.malaccensis and some other Indo-malaysian group) These trees have relatively light and pale colored heartwood but when they get infected with a parasitic ascomycetous mould, Phaeoacremonium parasitica, a dematiaceous (dark-walled) fungus, the tree's immune system secrets a resin high in volatile organic compounds that aids in suppressing or retarding the fungal growth, a process called tylosis. This process dramatically changes the unaffected light color heartwood to pale beige or dark brown/ black with increase in its mass and density. This resin is commonly known as gaharu, jinko, aloeswood, eaglewood, agarwood, or oudh (Arabic) The resin yields a volatile oil which is valued in many cultures for its distinctive fragrance, medicine and spiritual uses. In natural forest only about 7% of the trees are infected by the fungus which makes this oil highly expensive (US$50,000 to US$80,000 per litre.).
There are 17 species in the genus Aquilaria and eight are known to produce agarwood.Though Agarawood can be produced from all species, A.malaccensis is considered prime while A.cressna and A.sinensis are also harvested. Aquilaria species that produce agarwood are found throughout Asia, while occur naturally in South and Southeast Asia. The Indian sub-continent was the main source of agarwood for many centuries but as trees became scarce in the middle of the 20th century, extraction intensified in Indo-china. Later on it was extended to Indonesia and Malaysia. Today Agarwood plantations exist in a number of countries, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Thailand and Vietnam.
