Aquilaria malaccensis

Botanical Description

Aquilaria malaccensis is an evergreen tree growing up to 49 metres tall, though it is usually rather smaller at around 20 metres. The bole can be up to 60cm in diameter[ 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. , 451 Title Flora Malesiana Series 1 Publication Author Various Website http://www.archive.org Publisher Nationaal Herbarium Nederiand, Universiteit Leiden branch Year 0 ISBN Description A massive treatment of the plants of the Malaysian Archipelago. Much of it has been made available to download from the Internet , 653 Title Plants of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://www.asianplant.net/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Excellent site with brief information on the plant, its range, habitat and uses, plus phots of specimens, close-ops of flowers and leaves etc, ]. The aromatic resin obtained from this tree is one of the most famous and most expensive on the planet. It has a very long history of use in religious ceremonies, at funerals etc in the Orient and is widely sought after as an ingredient in perfumery. Commonly harvested from the wild, trials are being carried out into growing it in plantations. The tree has been heavily overexploited in the wild leading to strong concerns that it could become extinct[ 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. ]. It is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List (2009) and is considered critically endangered in India[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].