Aquilaria sinensis Merr.

Incense tree (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Malvales > Thymelaeaceae > Aquilaria

Characteristics

Trees 5-15 m tall. Bark dark gray, smooth; branchlets terete, rugose, puberulous, glabrescent. Petiole 5-7 mm, pubescent; leaf blade dark or purple-green, glossy adaxially, light green abaxially, orbicular or elliptic to oblong, sometimes obovate, 5-9 × 2.8-6 cm, leathery, both surfaces glabrous, but sometimes puberulous along margin, base broadly cuneate, apex acuminate or acute, apiculate; lateral veins 15-20 pairs, more conspicuous abaxially, veins and veinlets slender, subparallel, obscure. Inflorescence terminal, a loose panicle of umbels, many flowered. Flowers fragrant at night; pedicel 5-10 mm, densely yellow-gray pubescent. Calyx yellowish green; tube narrowly campanulate, 5-6 mm, exterior and interior densely pubescent; lobes 5, ovate, 3-5 mm, both surfaces pubescent, apex rounded and obtuse, or acute. Petaloid appendages 10, scalelike, inserted at throat of tube, obviously densely pilose at anthesis. Stamens 10; filaments ca. 1 mm; anthers linear-oblong, ca. 1.5 mm. Ovary ovoid, densely grayish white hairy; style obsolete or nearly so; stigma capitate. Capsule shortly stipitate, ovoid, 2-3 × ca. 2 cm, densely yellow pubescent, base tapering, apex apiculate; pericarp thin, smooth when dried. Seeds dark brown, ovoid, ca. 10 × 7.5 mm, white sericeous or glabrous; funicle conspicuous, ca. 1.5 × 0.4 cm, longer than seed, tapered at base, broad and compressed below seed. Fl. spring-summer, fr. summer-autumn.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 1.0
Mature height (meter) 15.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Lowland forests, sunny places on slopes or along roadsides.
Light 5-8
Soil humidity 3-6
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

Uses essential oil material medicinal tea timber wood
Edible barks seeds
Therapeutic use Antineoplastic agents (leaf), Pharyngitis (leaf), Chest (unspecified), Debility (unspecified), Abdomen (unspecified), Anodyne (unspecified), Asthma (unspecified), Senility (unspecified), Contraceptive agents (unspecified), Anemia (wood), Antirheumatic agents (wood), Aphrodisiacs (wood), Ascites (wood), Asthma (wood), Astringents (wood), Cardiotonic agents (wood), Central nervous system depressants (wood), Cholagogues and choleretics (wood), Diarrhea (wood), Diuretics (wood), Dysentery (wood), Dyspepsia (wood), Edema (wood), Disorder of ejaculation (wood), Flatulence (wood), Gout (wood), Hemorrhoids (wood), Liver diseases (wood), Nervous system diseases (wood), Paralysis (wood), General tonic for rejuvenation (wood), Skin diseases (wood), Snake bites (wood), Vomiting (wood), Deobstruent (wood), Abdominal pain (wood), Appetite stimulants (wood), Colic (wood)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) 18 - 24
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Aquilaria sinensis unspecified picture

Distribution

Aquilaria sinensis world distribution map, present in China

Conservation status

Aquilaria sinensis threat status: Vulnerable

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:830849-1
WFO ID wfo-0000541095
COL ID FZN6
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Agallochum sinense Aquilaria chinensis Aquilaria sinensis Aquilaria grandiflora Aquilaria ophispermum Ophispermum sinense Agallochum grandiflorum Aquilaria malaccensis