This Week Plant – Aquilaria Malaccensis Lam

The oudh tree (Aquilaria malaccensis) is a deciduous tree more popular in Kerala for its economic advantage. This deciduous tree native to northeast India to Malayan region is over exploited in their natural zone of distribution for it very costly eagle wood which yield on distillation the agar oil that is attributed with even aphrodisiac properties. A. malaccensis is on the brink of extinction in the wild and is now considered Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List.

The tree is popular for raising in plantations and homestead planting. The eagle wood formation is subject to fungal infection that occurs naturally in very few trees of a population which make such tree valuable. Artificial induction trials of agarwood formation are being explored in different regions. Green Ahalia attempt to make the plant conserved in our campus as part of our ABG programme.