Aquilaria sinensis
Aquilaria sinensis
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Grows best in undulating terrain in the moister lowland tropics, being found at elevations of 200 - 700 metres[1]. It prefers an annual rainfall of 1,500 - 6,500 mm, a mean annual maximum temperature of 22 - 28°c and a mean annual minimum temperature of 14 - 21°c[1]. Prefers heavy soils developed from gneiss and other metamorphic rocks, but it also grows well on sandy loams developed from sandstone[1]. The extremely high prices paid for high quality agar wood and for the essential oil and the indiscriminate felling of both diseased and healthy trees threaten natural stands of Aquilaria including Aquilaria sinensis to extinction. Research into possibilities of artificial induction and stimulation of agar wood formation is therefore urgently required and may offer high economic returns, especially as trials indicate that management of plantations presents no great difficulties. Unless such methods are developed, Aquilaria malaccensis may soon be extinct[1]. Plantations have been established, mainly for experimental purposes, to test methods for the induction of agar wood formation[1]. Three closely related species of Aquilaria are considered to be the major sources of agar wood and are distinguished by the length of their calyx lobes:- Aquilaria crassna, which comes from Indo-China, has lobes 12 - 15mm long. Aquilaria malaccensis, from India, and Malaysia has lobes 2 - 3mm long. Aquilaria sinensis, from China, has lobes 8mm long. A number of other species are less important sources of agar wood, including some minor Aquilaria spp., Enkleia malaccensis and the timbers Gonystylus bancanus and G. macrophyllus[1]. Agar wood formation is a pathological process taking place in the stem or main branches where an injury has occurred. Fungi are involved in the process, but the process itself is not yet fully understood. Damage by boring insects is often associated with the infection. It is believed that the tree is first attacked by a pathogenic fungus, which causes it to weaken. Infection by a second fungus causes the formation of agar wood, but it is unclear whether it is a product of the fungus or the tree. The fungus implicated in the formation of agar wood in A. malaccensis is Cytosphaera mangiferae, while Melanotus flavolives is assumed to play a similar role in this species[1].
Propagation
Seed should be sown immediately, as it remains viable for only about 1 month. It is sown in nursery beds, about 5 mm deep in a mixture of soil, sand and manure and kept under light shade. Germination starts after 10 - 12 days and is normally complete after 1 month[1]. Seed sown immediately after collection has about 65% germination, falling to 45% after 1 week and only 5% after 3 weeks in storage[1]. The seedlings are very prone to insect attack[1]. Seedlings are pricked out into containers 40 - 45 days after germination when they are 3 - 5 cm tall, and are kept under shade[1]. They are ready for transplanting when 30 - 35 cm tall and 10 - 12 months old[1]. Transplanting bare-rooted seedlings has been tried successfully in some areas[1]. Fruit harvested for seed should be collected when mature but still green. A medium- sized tree produces about 2,000 seeds per year, but seed production may fluctuate greatly between years[1]. The fruits are dried in the shade for about 2 days, they then burst and release the seed[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Aquilaria+sinensis>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
- [2]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
- [3]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.