Aquilaria malaccensis Aquilaria malaccensis Aquilaria malaccensis Aquilaria malaccensis Lam.

TRIPURATRIPURATRIPURATRIPURA

State State State State TreeTreeTreeTree:::: Aloe Wood, Eagle Wood.

Botanical Name:Botanical Name:Botanical Name:Botanical Name: AquilariaAquilariaAquilariaAquilaria malaccensismalaccensismalaccensismalaccensis Lam.

CommonCommonCommonCommon Names:Names:Names:Names: Sasi (Assamese); Agar, Agaru (Bengali); Agarwood, Malayan Aloe Wood,

Malayan Eagle Wood (English); Agaru (Sanskrit).

Family:Family:Family:Family: Thymeleaceae.

Etymology: Etymology: Etymology: Etymology: The specific epithet is named after its type locality, ‘Malacca’.

Description:Description:Description:Description: A large evergreen tree, 20 –

40 m tall. Stem 60 cm in diam.; young bark

light brown with fine hairs, older one

smooth and whitish; wood without resin

light, soft, and white, while wood with

resin heavy, hard, and dark. Leaves

alternate, oblong-lanceolate, elliptic-

obovate or lanceolate, acute at base,

caudate-acuminate at apex, 6 – 8 × 3 – 3.5

cm; lateral veins 12 – 16 pairs.

Inflorescence a terminal or axillary umbel.

Flowers bisexual, up to 5 mm long,

fragrant. Perianth campanulate, 6.3 – 7.5

cm long, yellowish green or white. Stamens

10. Ovary subsessile; stigma large. Fruits

egg-shaped capsule, ca 4 × 2.5 cm, leathery exocarp with fine hairs, green; seeds 2, ovoid,

densely covered with red-brown hair, blackish brown.

Flowering & Fruiting:Flowering & Fruiting:Flowering & Fruiting:Flowering & Fruiting: June – August and November – December.

Range of Range of Range of Range of DistributionDistributionDistributionDistribution: India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines,

Singapore and Thailand.

Economic Importance:Economic Importance:Economic Importance:Economic Importance: The wood of the tree yields an essential called oil chuwah or agar

which is used in attar or perfume and as incense raw material. Agarwood contains more

than 12 chemical components that can be extracted from it. Wood without or with low

content of resin can be used for boxes, interior or veneer. The inner fibrous bark has

occasionally been used locally as raw material for clothing and ropes.

Traditional Knowledge:Traditional Knowledge:Traditional Knowledge:Traditional Knowledge: In Northeast India it is known as ‘Sanchi’ plant. Its use in the region

is prehistoric. The bark was once used for preparing a writing material called ‘Sanchi Pat’

for writing history, mythology, folk songs, medicinal and holy scripts while agar, a fragrant,

resinous, dark-coloured wood and its product called agar oil obtained from the diseased

wood of the tree, which is associated with the cultural heritage of people in Northeast India

since ancient time. There are mentions of Agar of ancient Kamrup in Chinese pilgrim

HiuenTsang, Abhigyan Sakuntalam of Kalidas and Arthasastra of Kautilya.

Medicinal Uses: Medicinal Uses: Medicinal Uses: Medicinal Uses: The resinous substance is used in gout and rheumatism. The agar extracted

from the wood is used against vomiting. The wood is digestive, carminative, cardiotonic and

aphrodisiac. The juice of the bark is used for treatment of diarrhoea. Chemicals obtained

from it can be used as venom repellent.

Note: Note: Note: Note: Agartala, the capital of Tripura is named after the Agar wood which was very common

in the area at one time.

KKKK.... Pagag Pagag Pagag Pagag & S.K. Singh& S.K. Singh& S.K. Singh& S.K. Singh

Botanical Survey of India, Eastern Regional Centre, Shillong.