incense tree

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Chinese Agarwood
• Chinese Eaglewood

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Agallochum grandiflorum
• Ophispermum sinense
• Agallochum sinense
• Aquilaria grandiflora

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Malvales, it is classified under the family Thymelaeaceae and is identified by the genus Aquilaria.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant is primarily distributed across specific regions within East and Southeast Asia. In China, its presence is noted in the tropical island province of Hainan. It can also be found throughout the diverse landscapes of China Southeast. Beyond Chinese borders, the species extends into the Indo-China peninsula. Specifically, it is well-documented as growing within the country of Vietnam.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Aquilaria sinensis is characterized by its status as a perennial species, allowing it to persist in its environment through multiple growing seasons. As an evergreen plant, it maintains its foliage throughout the year, providing a consistent photosynthetic capacity that supports its long-term developmental processes. This combination of a perennial lifecycle and evergreen nature enables the species to establish a stable presence within its natural habitat, contributing to its long-term survival and growth patterns.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Aquilaria sinensis is characterized by its growth form as a woody tree, exhibiting a self-supporting structure that does not require climbing assistance. It is an independent species, functioning as a terrestrial plant rather than an epiphyte or a parasite. In terms of stature, this tree reaches significant dimensions, with a plant height that typically ranges from a minimum of 5 m to a maximum of 15 m, maintaining a mean height of approximately 12.5 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

tree

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

15 m

Plant height mean:

12.5 m

Plant height min:

5 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Aquilaria sinensis is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its carbon fixation processes and metabolic efficiency. The plant's vegetative structure is defined by its foliar dimensions, where the leaves exhibit a mean length of 7 cm, ranging from a minimum of 5 cm to a maximum of 9 cm. Complementing this, the leaf width varies from a minimum of 2.8 cm to a maximum of 6 cm, with a recorded mean width of 4.4 cm. Furthermore, the species does not function as a nitrogen fixer, relying instead on the uptake of nitrogen from the surrounding soil medium to support its physiological development and biomass production.

Leaf length max:

9 cm

Leaf length mean:

7 cm

Leaf length min:

5 cm

Leaf width max:

6 cm

Leaf width mean:

4.4 cm

Leaf width min:

2.8 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Aquilaria sinensis is characterized by specific morphological dimensions of its flowering and fruiting structures. The plant produces inflorescences that are relatively small, with a recorded length ranging from a minimum of 0.005 m to a maximum of 0.006 m. Following successful pollination, the development of the fruit follows a distinct size profile; the fruit length typically ranges from a minimum of 2 cm to a maximum of 3 cm, with an observed mean length of 2.5 cm.

Fruit length max:

3 cm

Fruit length mean:

2.5 cm

Fruit length min:

2 cm

Inflorescence length max:

0.006 m

Inflorescence length min:

0.005 m

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Aquilaria sinensis has 4 reported plant parts identified across 12 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf, stem, root, flower.

Leaf

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
2. Food chemistry: X
3. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials
4. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Stem

1. Microscopy research and technique
2. Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B
3. Scientific reports
4. Physiology and molecular biology of plants : an international journal of functional plant biology

Root

1. Microscopy research and technique
2. Scientific reports
3. Physiology and molecular biology of plants : an international journal of functional plant biology

Flower

1. PeerJ

Chemicals

Aquilaria sinensis has 63 reported phytochemicals identified across 12 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Sesquiterpenes, Sesquiterpene, Flavonoids, Agarotetrol, 2-(2-Phenylethyl)chromone.

Sesquiterpenes

1. Yao xue xue bao = Acta pharmaceutica Sinica
2. PeerJ
3. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Journal of genetics
5. BMC genomics

Sesquiterpene

1. Plant & cell physiology
2. Frontiers in plant science
3. Journal of experimental botany
4. Yao xue xue bao = Acta pharmaceutica Sinica
5. Physiology and molecular biology of plants : an international journal of functional plant biology

Flavonoids

1. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
2. Food chemistry: X
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Agarotetrol

1. Chinese herbal medicines
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
3. International journal of analytical chemistry

2-(2-Phenylethyl)chromone

1. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)
2. International journal of analytical chemistry

Chromones

1. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Frontiers in plant science

Jasmonic acid

1. Plant & cell physiology
2. Scientific reports

Methyl jasmonate

1. Scientific reports
2. International journal of molecular sciences

resin

1. Life (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

(-)-bornyl ferulate

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Activities

Aquilaria sinensis has 5 reported activities identified across 12 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antibacterial, Anticancer, Antidepressant, Antioxidant, Neuroprotective.

Antibacterial

1. European journal of medicinal chemistry

Anticancer

1. European journal of medicinal chemistry

Antidepressant

1. Fitoterapia

Antioxidant

1. European journal of medicinal chemistry

Neuroprotective

1. Phytochemistry

Conditions

Aquilaria sinensis has 7 reported investigations on conditions identified across 12 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include Antidepressant, Aspergillus, antioxidant, cancer, oxidative stress.

Antidepressant

1. Fitoterapia

Aspergillus

1. Chinese herbal medicines

Antioxidant

1. European journal of medicinal chemistry

Cancer

1. Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B

Oxidative stress

1. Food chemistry: X

Tumor

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Wound

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Preparations

Aquilaria sinensis has 13 reported preparations identified across 12 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include Agarwood, agarwood, resinous heartwood, Volatile oil, agarwood produced via whole-tree agarwood-inducing technique( Agar-Wit).

Agarwood

1. BMC genomics
2. Frontiers in plant science

Agarwood

1. Genes
2. Microscopy research and technique

Resinous heartwood

1. Natural products and bioprospecting
2. Phytochemistry

Volatile oil

1. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials

Agarwood produced via whole-tree agarwood-inducing technique( agar-wit)

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Artificial agarwood

1. Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences

Cultured cell suspensions

1. Functional plant biology : FPB

Essential oil

1. Frontiers in microbiology

Ethyl acetate extract of solid fermentation

1. Journal of Asian natural products research

Incense

1. Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B