Indonežanski oud

What agarwood is

Agarwood develops in the heartwood of Aquilaria trees once a Phaeoacremonium mold, P. parasitica, has infected them. The tree secretes a resin to combat the fungal infestation. Before infection the heartwood mostly lacks scent and is relatively light and pale. As the infection advances, the heartwood becomes very dense, dark and saturated with resin.

Indonesian sources

Gaharu, also called agarwood, is the resinous heartwood of Aquilaria trees, which are found in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara, Maluku and Papua. The production centers of Indonesian gaharu are in Papua, Kalimantan and Sumatra. No fewer than 20 tree species in Indonesia are known to yield some type of gaharu, but only Aquilaria and Gyrinops produce a resin of comparatively good quality that can be traded. Of the Indonesian trees that yield gaharu, Aquilaria malaccensis is the one known to produce the best. Aquilaria microcarpa is found in Indonesia and Singapore. Aquilaria filaria is native to the eastern Philippines, the Maluku Islands and Western New Guinea, and it is a source of agarwood.

Composition

The composition of agarwood oil is exceedingly complex, with more than 150 chemical compounds identified. At least 70 of these are terpenoids, in the form of sesquiterpenes and chromones, and no monoterpenes have been detected at all. The exact balance of these materials varies with the age and species of the tree and with the details of the oil extraction process. All the chromones isolated from Aquilaria are derivatives of 2-(2-phenylethyl) chromone. Agarwood of A. agallocha contains eremophilane sesquiterpenes such as jinkoh eremol.

Supply and trade

Agarwood is one of the most expensive woods in the world. Depletion of wild sources is one of the main reasons for the relative rarity and high cost of agarwood. Over-harvesting of gaharu has depleted Indonesia's population of Aquilaria and Gyrinops trees, which are high-potential sources of gaharu. Aquilaria malaccensis is on the brink of extinction in the wild and is considered critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. Since 1995 the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species has listed Aquilaria malaccensis, the primary source, in its Appendix II, and in 2004 all Aquilaria species were listed there. Indonesia has exported agarwood as chips, blocks, powder and oil. It has exported gaharu to Saudi Arabia, the Arab Emirates, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, the European Union and the United States. Gaharu cultivation has been developed in Bangka island, Sukabumi, Bogor, Lampung and East Nusa Tenggara. Groups of farmers in West Kalimantan have planted 300,000 trees.

Explore all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

—

Related: Agarwood Oil · Agarwood Oud · Australian Oud · Cambodian Oud · Chinese Oud · Indian Oud · Laotian Oud · Malaysian Oud