Oud iz Trata

Trat province lies in eastern Thailand and borders several provinces of Cambodia. Trat has vast plantations where the Aquilaria crassna variety is grown. Aquilaria crassna is a species of plant in the Thymelaeaceae family. Aquilaria crassna is critically endangered and native to Southeast Asia. It is one source of agarwood, a resinous heartwood used for perfume and incense.

Agarwood forms in the heartwood of Aquilaria trees after they become infected with a type of Phaeoacremonium mold, P. parasitica. 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.

A common method in planted forestry is to inoculate trees with the fungus. In artificial induction, nail or axe wounds are made in the wood and the wood is exposed to infection by fungi such as Phialophora parasitica. Agarwood is now cultivated, and Thailand has some of the most extensive plantations anywhere.

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.

Oud scent is popular in the Middle East, the Arab world and Arab culture, where it is used as a traditional aromatic and perfume in many forms. Oud wood is burned for spiritual, medicinal and decorative purposes, in addition to being worn for its scent and status. One of the main reasons for the relative rarity and high cost of agarwood is the depletion of wild sources. In 2004, all Aquilaria species were listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

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