Aquilaria malaccensis aka Indian Aloewood

Aquilaria malaccensis is a tree in the Thymelaeaceae family. It stays green all year. Its names include agarwood, aloewood, and eaglewood. Its native range runs from northeast India through Myanmar and Malaysia. It also reaches Indonesia and the Philippines. Some sources class its Indian relative as a separate species. It grows in old forest and woods that have regrown. It grows on plains, slopes, and ridges, often near streams.

Grown trees reach about 66 feet (20 metres) tall. Their usual garden spread is about 26 feet (8 metres). One account gives a spread of 39 feet (12 metres). Reports give heights up to 131 feet (40 metres). Useful Tropical Plants gives an extreme of 161 feet (49 metres). The tree grows slowly. Its trunk has thin, smooth, pale bark. Fine, silky hairs coat young shoots. The long leaves feel like leather. They grow in turn along the stem, not in pairs. White flowers grow in groups. Soft, short hairs coat the egg-shaped fruits that follow.

This tree suits warm, moist sites in the lowland tropics. It grows in full sun or light shade. It likes moist soil that drains well. It grows in sand, loam, and clay, even heavy clay. Soil with few nutrients can also suit it. It tolerates mildly acid to mildly alkaline soil. Plants For A Future lists USDA zones 10–12. These needs limit its use in gardens with cold winters. Where the climate suits it, its crown keeps leaves year-round.

The tree yields agarwood: scented heartwood rich in resin. A fungal infection spurs the tree to make this resin. People use it in perfume, incense, and religious rites. High prices have led people to cut many wild trees. They fell healthy trees as well as those with infections. Useful Tropical Plants cites a 2009 IUCN listing of Vulnerable. It reports a worse threat within India. Growers have tested raising trees on plantations. These trials aim to reduce the need for wild trees.

Records note food uses for seeds and inner bark. In Malaysia, cooks use the resin to flavour curries. Traditional medicine uses the wood for gut and breathing complaints. These uses do not prove that treatment works or is safe. Useful Tropical Plants reports no known hazards. This does not prove safety for people or pets. Insects can badly harm seedlings. Seeds soon lose their power to sprout. Sow them soon after harvest. Young plants need shade early in their growth in nurseries.