Aquilaria Seeds | Agarwood
LATIN NAME: Aquilaria
COMMON NAME: Agarwood, Aloeswood
Plant Profile
Agarwood (Aquilaria) is a genus of evergreen trees of the daphne family (Thymelaeaceae), native to the rainforests of South and Southeast Asia. They are slender trees 6-20 m tall, with simple, glossy leaves and small greenish flowers. When the wood is wounded and infected by certain fungi, the tree produces a dark, fragrant resin — agarwood or oud — one of the most valuable natural aromatics in the world, and the reason several species are now threatened in the wild.
Science & Biotechnology
Aquilaria trees produce agarwood — chen xiang — the most valuable fragrant wood on earth, formed only when the tree responds to fungal infection or wounding by saturating its heartwood with sesquiterpenes and chromones. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia lists the resinous wood as a drug for pain and qi stagnation. Over-harvesting of wild trees led to CITES Appendix II listing for the whole genus, so cultivated and legally inoculated wood is the only ethical source.
The species features in the wider study of the Aquilaria group, and its traits make it a useful subject for work on germination biology, cultivation and ornamental selection. This applied research has become central to efforts to meet enormous global demand for agarwood while easing pressure on increasingly scarce wild Aquilaria populations across their native range. The upshot for anyone sowing it is reassurance — cultivated stock of this plant has a long, well-documented track record.
Uses & Benefits
Beyond its ornamental appeal, Agarwood has the practical versatility that makes a plant worth growing from seed year after year. Growing Aquilaria trees, whether for eventual sustainable resin production through inoculation or simply as part of tropical reforestation efforts, supports both a valuable traditional industry and conservation of a genus under real pressure in the wild. A plant that has settled in will get along with only routine care.
When aquilaria wood is infected by certain fungi, it produces agarwood, Chen Xiang, the most precious incense wood in the world and a valued Chinese medicinal resin used to move qi and calm the spirit. Sustainable plantation inoculation is now replacing wild harvest.
Growing from Seed
Agarwood is one of those generous plants that come along well from seed. Sow fresh seed promptly into a loose, free-draining tropical mix, keeping it warm and consistently humid throughout, since seed viability drops off quickly if allowed to dry. Provide bright, filtered light echoing this species’ native forest-understorey origins, and bear in mind that tree itself grows for many years as an ordinary evergreen before any resin formation begins, whether naturally or through later inoculation. Use a fine, free-draining seed compost, scatter the seed evenly, cover it lightly and hold it just moist in good light. Prick the seedlings out once they are large enough to handle, grow them on in bright light, and plant out when conditions allow.
Our Take
Agarwood, Aloeswood settles in quickly once it finds its footing. Sun and good drainage cover most of its demands.
Related Reading
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