Agalloch is a synonym of agarwood. In parallel, Aquilaria agallocha and Agalochum malaccense are synonyms of Aquilaria malaccensis, the accepted scientific name of a tree that produces much of the world’s stock of this wood. When the heartwood (or duramen) of an Aquilaria tree is in the grip of an infection of Phaeoacremonium parasitica, the tree secretes a resin to beat the fungus off. The resin is very fragrant; depending on the duration of secretion, the heartwood can become saturated with it, at which point it becomes the very odoriferous agarwood. For centuries people have extracted this agarwood for use in perfumes and incense. We have also found the oils extracted from the wood, especially using steam distillation of late, are chemically very complex, including more than 70 terpenoids and more than 150 compounds overall.
This is a fascinating tale for the origin of something beautiful in nature, prompted by a tree’s desperate bid to fight off the advance of a fungal menace. Of course the human beholds this beauty, not the tree and certainly not the fungus — and Aquilaria malaccensis‘s wondrous resin hasn’t been able to keep humans at bay. The tree is listed as being ‘critically endangered’ on the IUCN Red List thanks to habitat loss and improper management of the global demand for the resinous agalloch.