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Agar Wood
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Agar Wood
P Native Photo: Siddarth Machado
Common name: Agar Wood, Malayan aloes-wood, Malayan eaglewood • Kannada: ಅಗಿಲ್, ಅಗಿಲು Agil, ಕಾರಗಿಲ್, ಕಾರಗಿಲು Kaaragil, ಅಗರು Agaru, ಅಗುರು Aguru • Mizo: Thing-rai • Manipuri: ꯑꯥꯒꯔ Aagar • Sanskrit: अगरुः, अगरु Agaru, अगुरुः, अगुरु Aguru
Botanical name: Aquilaria malaccensis    Family: Thymelaeaceae (Daphne family)
Synonyms: Aquilaria moluccensis, Aquilaria secundaria, Aquilaria agallochum

Agar wood is a tree up to 40 m tall with an irregular crown. Its smooth trunk has dark to pale grey, peeling outer bark and cream-white inner bark. Its alternate, stalked leaves have thinly leathery leaf blades that are oval-oblong to oblong-lanceshaped, and 6-12 by 1.9-5.5 cm, with fine, parallel veinlets, and long tips. Its fragrant flowers are green or dirty-yellow, 5-6 mm long, and found in shortly-stalked, 2.5 cm-long clusters of up to 10 together. Its green fruits are flattened egg-shaped, rather woody, and 2.5-4 by 2.5 cm. Its pear-shaped seeds are covered with orange-brown hairs, and up to 10 by 6 mm, with one of its ends attached to the fruit by a twisted, stalk-like appendage. Aquilaria malaccensis is the major source of agarwood, a resinous heartwood, used for perfume and incense.

Identification credit: Siddarth Machado Photographed in Mariani, Assam.

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