Agarwood

Cut piece of aloeswood

Description

Hardwood from the Acquilaria agallocha tree of the Thymelaceae family that is native to China and other parts of Asia. The sapwood is whitish in color, while the heartwood is dark with a distinctive figuring. Agarwood was formerly an expensive but popular wood for inlay work that is now rarely sold commercially. The resinous wood has also been used for incense, perfume, cosmetics and medicinal purposes.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Acquilaria agallocha; Acquilaria malaccensis; Lignum aloes; Lignum aquila; aloeswood; aloes wood; paradise wood; calambac; agalloc; eaglewood; eagle wood; eagle-wood; chen-xiang (Chin.); jinko (Jap.); oud (Arab.)

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Density = 20-23 pcf

Resources and Citations

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 671

• F. H. Titmuss, Commercial Timbers of the World, The Technical Press Ltd., London, 1965

• Gordon Hanlon, contributed information, 1998

• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloeswood (Accessed Mar. 15, 2006)